Foundation Magazine September/October 2021

FOUNDATION The Business & Spirit of Philanthropy in Canada September/October 2021 | Vol. 2 | No. 10

Sophie Sawler

...and 151 Other True Stories of Volunteering INSIDE:

• Speaking Up on Volunteerism • The Best Ways to Motivate & Engage Volunteers

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THE LEAD IN

The World Around Us In the U.K., A Search for Solutions to Child Poverty

COURTESY LONDON CHILD POVERTY ALLIANCE

COURTESY LONDON CHILD POVERTY ALLIANCE

Child poverty levels in the UK have been significantly lower than they are today. They are lower today in many other comparable countries. Making sure every child gets a good start in life is not only the right thing to do, it is one of the smartest investments any country can make.

The U.K.’s Child Poverty Action Group has 50 years of experience and expertise to devise and promote solutions they feel will lift children and families out of poverty. If politicians take the right action to address the causes of child poverty, no child need grow up experiencing financial hardship. This includes ensuring decently paid jobs; good, accessible childcare; and a strong social security system to keep people's heads above water and provide support when it's needed.

London Calling is a CPAG project to understand the challenges faced by Black and minority ethnic parents on low incomes bringing up children in the capital. They want to amplify these parents’ voices, and together develop local and national solutions to deliver meaningful change. This project draws on a London Calling family panel as well as evidence from practitioners working with families across London via CPAG’s Early Warning System.

A new report pulls together the views and experiences shared by parents and young people in the capital during the first year of the London Calling project. It looks at the key barriers to a good quality of life for children and families living on a low income in London in 2021 and examines the effect of the pandemic on these barriers, and sets out what our panel of low income parents in London want the future to look like for themselves and their families. The briefing also profiles the panel’s experience of participating in consultations with policy makers in London, and explores the extent to which these parents feel their identities are understood and represented by people in positions of power.

London is home to more than nine million people. It is the UK’s biggest and most diverse city, representing more than 13 percent of the total population. A huge proportion of the UK’s prosperity is concentrated in its capital, but many Londoners struggle to make ends meet and achieve an acceptable standard of living. London is home to some of the country’s poorest neighbourhoods, and it’s a city in which vast inequalities are increasingly stark.

For too many Londoners and their children, proximity to the city’s affluence does not mean sharing in this wealth and adequate employment, affordable housing and fit for purpose childcare are often out of reach. In fact, levels of after housing poverty and inequality are higher in some parts of London than anywhere else in the UK. As the government’s ‘levelling up’ agenda begins regenerating parts of the UK that have been economically struggling, attention turns away from London. Yet London is the only region in the UK where the number of food bank parcels distributed during the pandemic more than doubled (a 106 percent increase). Among other things, CPAG is asking that the child benefit must rise by at least £5 per week for each child to make up for inflation since 2010, otherwise it will have lost 23 percent of its real value by 2020; The two-child limit on tax credits and universal credit will plunge a further 300,000 children into poverty, and push a million who are already in poverty further below the poverty line. The £20,000 a year benefit cap should be abolished as it denies the needs of large families or those in high-rent areas. Families earning £20,000 from work are already entitled to additional support through benefits and tax credits to maintain a decent standard of living. There is more. To reach the entire CPAG Report, go here: https://cpag.org.uk/sites/default/files/files/policypost/ London_Calling_Stretched_Too_Far.pdf “More than anything, as a nation we need to recommit to ending poverty, as a national priority.”---CPAG foundationmag.ca

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CONTENTS

ON THE COVER September/October 2021 | Vol. 2 | No. 11

VOLUNTEERS IN ACTION

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Sophie Sawler

www.foundationmag.ca

Twitter: @foundationmaga1 PRESIDENT / EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Steve Lloyd - steve.lloyd@lloydmedia.ca DESIGN / PRODUCTION Jennifer O’Neill - jennifer@dmn.ca PHOTOGRAPHER Gary Tannyan CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Sarah Chamberlin Allie Murray Mark Halpern Kathleen Provost Raj Hegde Jennifer Robins Ella Jaques Cassandra Smallman LLOYDMEDIA INC. HEAD OFFICE / SUBSCRIPTIONS / PRODUCTION:

302-137 Main Street North Markham ON L3P 1Y2 Phone: 905.201.6600 Fax: 905.201.6601 Toll-free: 800.668.1838 EDITORIAL CONTACT: Foundation Magazine is published bimonthly by Lloydmedia Inc. Foundation Magazine may be obtained through paid subscription. Rates: Canada 1 year (6 issues $48)

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CONTENTS

VOLUNTEER REPORT COURTESY THE CANADIAN COURAGE PROJECT

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15 18

How a Passion for Animals and Mental Health Turned into a National Non-profit Speaking Up on Volunteerism A Q&A with Ontario Volunteer Centres

20 Connecting With Volunteers in the Virtual Space: Key Tips to Show Your Support

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SGT. MATHIEU ST-ARMOUR, RIDEAU HALL

22 The Best Ways to Motivate & Engage Volunteers

25 Worth Watching 32 Sovereign’s Medal for Volunteers 34 VOLUNTEER IMPACT

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3 THE LEAD IN 6 SEEN, HEARD & NOTED COLUMNIST

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Volunteering: Past, Present and Future

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Built on Community

Leadership - Kathleen Provost

Marketing & Fundraising - Sarah Chamberlin

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What it Means to Have Will Power The Accidental Philanthropist - Mark Halpern

WEALTH MANAGEMENT - MALCOLM BURROWS will return next issue foundationmag.ca

COURTESY ENVIRONICS ANALYTICS

138 Stories of Individuals in Action

VOLUNTEERS IN ACTION

28 Nicole Ewing 29 Oneida Baxhia ANALYTICS

46 Some Serious Thoughts About Giving Tuesday

HISTORIC PLAQUES

48 Dr. Williams T Grenfell & The International Grenfell Association

COMMENT

50 Top Tips for Successful Mobile Fundraising Events

Next Issue…

Watch for the November/December Issue. ... AFP Congress Issue and Fundraising Report September/October 2021

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Giant Tiger has raised more than $105,000 this year to help end food insecurity In recognition of World Food Day, Giant Tiger noted that it has raised more than $105,000 in food and funding for Food Banks across Canada so far in 2021. World Food Day is celebrated every year worldwide on October 16 to commemorate the founding of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization.

Giant Tiger stores are committed to fighting hunger and supporting the diverse communities they call home by actively raising money throughout the year to help feed families through an ongoing partnership with Food Banks Canada and working directly with local food banks across the country. Through the power of in-store customer donations, Giant Tiger’s Round-up Campaign to Fill Plates, which ran from September 27 to October 10, raised $38,049 and will provide 76,098 meals to families in need. The funds collected go directly to a food bank of choice within the community of the local Giant Tiger store, allowing customers to support their neighbours in need and directly improve food security within their 6

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community.

Alongside of collecting instore donations, Giant Tiger stores also ran their annual brown bag campaign earlier this month. The brown bag campaign offers customers the opportunity to purchase $5 prefilled bags with select grocery essentials that are donated to their local food bank. Paul Wood, President and CEO, Giant Tiger Stores said “Traditionally, food banks are in high demand leading into the holiday season and now, more than ever, Canadians are feeling the financial impact of COVID-19. It’s important for our stores to give back so everyone in their community will have access to safe and nutritious food.”

According to Food Banks Canada, 1 in 8 people assisted by food banks are employed and 34 percent of those relying on food banks nationally are children, while they only represent 19 percent of the population.

“Every one of us has a role in helping our neighbours and communities suffering from food insecurity. Partners like Giant Tiger help us reach the public with our message and contribute to our vision of a Canada where no one goes hungry,” said David Armour, Interim CEO, Food Banks Canada. As a community

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proud retailer, Giant Tiger Stores Limited partners with many local and national charities donating time, money and goods across the country, and is always looking at ways to give back to the communities they call home.

••••••••••••••••••• 175th Worldwide Anniversary of Anesthesia The Canadian Anesthesiologists’ Society marked World Anesthesia Day on Saturday, October 16th as the 175th anniversary of the first use of anesthesia within modern medicine.

procedure. This creates the conditions required for a person to undergo surgery safely with minimal suffering and complications.

Every day, thousands of Canadian patients depend on physician-led anesthesia for safe, high-quality care during medical procedures.

Anesthesiologists are leaders within our healthcare community, and wholly committed to patient safety before, during, and after surgeries. The Canadian Anesthesiologists’ Society (CAS) is the national specialty

Anesthesia has grown to become a cornerstone of our medical system over the past 175 years. From the first successful demonstration of the use of ether for surgery in 1846 to the complex nature of anesthesia today, anesthesiologists have played a critical role in the expansion of our collective capabilities within the domain of medicine, allowing for today’s most advanced medical procedures to be possible. During surgery, the anesthesiologist takes complete control of the patient's vital, biological functions (including blood pressure, heart rate, breathing, nerve/muscle function, temperature, hydration, etc.). These are monitored and regulated throughout the entire

society for anesthesiology in Canada. The CAS was founded in 1943 as a not-forprofit, voluntary organization and is guided by its vision of transformative patient care, with its mission to serve members and advance the specialty through leadership, advocacy, education, and research.

••••••••••••••••••• Love, Money & Marriage Finances are a hot topic for Canadian couples who recently tied the knot or are thinking about getting married, with the pandemic prompting more money conversations, according to the RBC Love, Money & Marriage Poll. The survey checked in on finances with Canadians planning to be engaged or married during the next five years,

COURTESY THE CANADIAN ANESTHESIOLOGISTS’ SOCIETY

COURTESY GIANT TIGER

SEEN, HEARD & NOTED

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COURTESY RBC

SEEN, HEARD & NOTED

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together can go a long way toward reducing stress and helping couples build a strong future together,” says Stuart Gray, Director, Financial Planning Centre of Expertise, RBC. Gray also pointed out a new factor since the onset of the pandemic: 53 percent of non-married respondents said the money they had been saving for a wedding is now going to other financial priorities, including buying a home, starting a family or downsizing their wedding ceremony.

About 14 percent have considered eloping while 13 percent have considered a city hall ceremony or holding an outdoor/sociallydistanced wedding.

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COURTESY THE GOOD CHALLENGE

as well as those who were engaged and had to alter their wedding plans or got married during the pandemic.

While the majority (68 percent) of those surveyed said they were talking more about finances with their partner since the start of the pandemic, nearly half (47 percent) admitted finances are one of the biggest stressors in their relationship. And for many respondents, wedding finances is a big source of stress. Just over one-third (35 percent) described planning wedding finances as stressful, rising to 50 percent among those who said only one partner was making these decisions. One-third (32 percent) found it hard to talk about finances with their partner and also were not comfortable discussing each other's current financial situations (32 percent). More men than women expressed discomfort talking about finances (38 percent vs. 25 percent respectively), Just under one-third (30 percent) reported they only talk to their partner about finances a few times a year, with 5 percent saying they never do.

“It’s not uncommon to find couples don't always have the same comfort level when it comes to finances. We also know, however, that being on the same page financially and making money decisions

Designed to Foster Human Connection, The GOOD Challenge is Low Footprint, High Giveback The GOOD Challenge is setting out to make fundraising fun, accessible and rewarding, at a time when the way people

engage in charitable experiences has become transactional and distant.

Entrepreneur and Founder of The GOOD Challenge, Meghan Reesor, developed the idea mid-pandemic.

While on maternity leave with her second child, the social enterprise she had dedicated half a decade to was dissolved. As the world rapidly transformed, Meghan became acutely aware of how hard hit the non-profit sector was with disposable income and consumer spending on the decline, and traditional fundraising methods like galas and bake sales becoming obsolete.

She decided her future was rooted in purpose, and from there, The GOOD Challenge was born.

The GOOD Challenge is about community and positivity. A collection of purpose-driven games and activities create memorable experiences while giving back to causes that matter.

Available in multiple editions, the Challenge Packs come in a book with 10 themed challenges that will push you out of your comfort zone and get you trying new things. The challenges can be done from anywhere, using supplies you likely already have or can easily access.

You can also try one of the local editions which feature a day of challenges while exploring some of Canada’s big cities. They also offer team packages, designed for your remote group, building rapport offline in a safe way through shared experiences.

For every Challenge Pack purchased, The GOOD Challenge donates at least September/October 2021

20 percent of every dollar ($10 per pack) to a charity chosen by the consumer.

These include: Second Harvest, Unison Benevolent Fund, Women's Shelter Canada, Children’s Aid Foundation, MS Society, and more. Funds are allocated by the charity to the place of greatest need at the time of donation. A bonus challenge is included in every Pack to get you doing good in your community too.

Challengers get rewarded with awesome prizes from Canadian brands that care by submitting evidence that they completed each challenge. They are then entered for a chance to win one of the available monthly prizes, including: gift cards, travel vouchers, and more. Once a challenge is complete, it can then be passed on, as the instructions for each are designed to be removed from the book and mailed like a postcard. There is even a spot for a stamp and to write a note to the person being nominated.

“I’m so excited to see Canadians across the country challenge themselves to give back and do good in a truly unique way. Giving back should be fun, accessible, and engaging, but as of late there have been so many barriers for consumers and non-profits alike. The GOOD Challenge is something you can do anytime, anywhere, with anyone in your network,” says Reesor. “I’m so grateful to our charitable and brand collaborators. Together we are changing how people think about philanthropic experiences and supporting causes that matter.”

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COLUMNIST

LEADERSHIP KATHLEEN PROVOST

Volunteering: Past, Present and Future Kathleen A. Provost

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BY KATHLEEN PROVOST

s a professional fundraiser, I am often reminded of the words of Winston Churchill: “You make a living by what you get. You make a life by what you give.”

Why people chose to volunteer will vary from person to person. But what is true is that once we find the right fit, the right volunteer experience, we’ll enrich the lives of others as well as our own life with this experience. When we have the sense that our efforts contribute towards making society better for all of us, we all feel good. It’s a win-win situation. Hence who really benefits: the volunteer, or the cause we chose to support?

Why volunteer?

I realized early in life that there were a number of ways to make a difference in my community. As a teenager, I did not have the funds to make a donation for a scholarship to a young student in need; but I could raise funds by volunteering with an organization that used its funds to offer scholarships to students in need. I soon learnt that not only was volunteering rewarding for me, but volunteering helped me develop new skills. With that in mind, I also saw the benefits of complementing my own “skills set” with skills and talents I may not otherwise possess.

I also realized that I felt better about myself for volunteering.

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So why do we volunteer?

Lauren Melnick works at GVI, an organization working with participants and partners from around the world. GVI and its partners are building a global network of people united by their passion to make a difference. She states that: “as volunteers, we benefit immensely from our benevolent efforts”.

An increasing amount of research in mental health and the benefits of volunteer-work has emerged recently from the COVID-19 pandemic. Researchers are looking at how “acts of doing good for others” seem more important than ever — and how their positive outcomes are felt in multiple ways. Some say volunteering is good for our health because we feel inspired and gain different perspectives on life. Volunteering can help us learn new skills which improve our employability and increase our selfesteem. When we contribute to a cause we believe in, we feel we are having an impact, and immerse ourselves in our community.

Authors Jeanne Segal, Ph.D. and Lawrence Robinson even claim it is beneficial to our health to volunteer because it reduces stress, combats depression and keeps us mentally stimulated.

For example, volunteering to help those in need, or to have an impact on a social issue, or for a cause, can result in improving our health, our wellbeing, and our happiness. Therefore, when foundationmag.ca

COLUMNIST choosing to volunteer we must make sure we are comfortable with our choices and that the experience brings us joy.

We must consider our own interests and our own skill set. We can choose an experience to “teach us new skills”, or we may elect to volunteer in an area where we have specific abilities to bring towards a specific effort. We must also be honest about our limitations whether they be: physical, mental, emotional or cultural.

And we must give serious consideration to the time we are willing and able to commit as a volunteer. When we search thoroughly, and find the right volunteer experience for us, it is rewarding, and we actually end up having fun!

What does it mean for the charitable sector?

Is it possible that by involving volunteers we can add value to organizations and help these organizations achieve their objectives? Organizations that involve volunteers can engage a more diverse range of skills, experiences and knowledge to benefit their own organization. By providing volunteering opportunities for individuals, charitable organizations can build relationships within the community they are involved with and provide opportunities for social inclusion, skills development and potential routes to employment.

Volunteers can become an integral part of a charitable organization. These individual volunteers may inform the development and delivery of activities, projects or services by bringing new opinions, ideas and approaches.

Volunteers can also help organizations by identifying opportunities for improvement. For example, some individuals can impact an organization by providing governance expertise, and others could handle everyday tasks.

For any organization, big or small, the involvement of volunteers can reduce operational costs, or even improve the quality of the services delivered.

The importance of volunteers In the summer of 2020, Tobi Johnson (Volunteer Management) commented on foundationmag.ca

a research looking into the challenges of nonprofit executives. She shared that even if there is an obvious positive connection between volunteering and philanthropy there are still thriving silos between volunteers and donors. Johnson wrote: “While it may be easy to pinpoint the value of a volunteer board director, it’s a little more difficult for leaders to see the contributions of rank-and-file volunteers and how they are a key part in helping an organization thrive over the long-term.”

And yet, in the midst of a global pandemic, we struggle to make a difference and find alternative solutions to problems that have impacted vulnerable populations or marginalized social issues. There is still a lack of understanding as to the virtue and the value volunteers can bring to our charitable sector. Unfortunately, volunteers are considered more “tactical” than “strategic” which leaves a large void in our organizational plans, be they strategic plans, development plans, resources and talent plans, marketing plans or others.

Given we are facing unprecedented challenges it would be apparent for us to bring our volunteers closer and engage them in conversations about our work today and into the future. We can work with our volunteers for advice, or we can engage them in special projects. When engaging volunteers in any way, they should feel supported and resourced appropriately.

It is worth our investment because we should never take volunteers for granted.

Remember, they have chosen us.

The meaning behind a volunteer experience It was in December 1736, that Benjamin Franklin conceived and founded the Union Fire Company, the first volunteer fire brigade in Pennsylvania. Throughout his life Franklin led a number of private, voluntary initiatives to enhance civil society. He stated: “It is prodigious the quantity of good that may be done by one man, if he will make a business of it.” In the 1920s, some individuals volunteered to support their communities because the church dictated that it was the right thing to do. Today, as young adults, my daughter and my son elect to buy

gently used items because, for them, it is the right thing to do. This is how my children chose to have an impact and engage in protecting the environment; it just looks different than how I engage to make a difference. Even some service clubs, religious groups or benevolence organizations who once rallied volunteers to have a community impact are facing challenges today when attempting to recruit volunteer members.

Volunteering looks different for each individual, and for each generation. Some individuals, like Franklin, volunteered by conviction. I volunteer by modeling my family values and practices because it made sense to me. Today, in a world where we self-educate and browse the web to answer our questions, there are open digital forums offering collaborative courses.

These virtual courses are accessible to all and aimed at providing the learner with an opportunity to engage in an informal learning forum.

Volunteer relationships within the charitable sector, for the greater good of a cause, have become a partnership. If social groups are smaller in size, it does not mean there are less volunteers; it just means how we volunteer to make a difference looks different. Whether we create a Go Fund Me group, or whether we show up every month for a Board Meeting for a local charity, or whether we walk door-to-door to visit new community members, we all just want to know that our actions have an impact in our community. It does not matter how the volunteer defines this community, by cause, by geography or virtually.

Let’s remember, when volunteering the rewards are multi-fold for all involved — the volunteer, the beneficiary, the organization and the community. We can all make a difference in our own way.

KATHLEEN A. PROVOST, CFRE is currently the Director, Campaign Initiatives at St. Francis Xavier University, in Antigonish, NS. She brings over 25 years of fundraising experience within the charitable sector. She has been a Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE) since 2007, and a long-time member and volunteer for the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP). She writes this column exclusively for each issue of Foundation Magazine.

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COLUMNIST

MARKETING & FUNDRAISING SARAH CHAMBERLIN

Built on Community

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BY SARAH CHAMBERLIN

Sarah Chamberlin

“To truly advocate for patient-first care...we had to give patients a louder voice.”

t the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), “community” is an umbrella term that includes many groups.

Aside from staff, there’s the community we serve, made up of roughly 37,000 patients every year; the community we collaborate with, consisting of more than 1,500 research groups internationally as well as being fully affiliated with the University of Toronto; and the community that supports us, including thousands of donors, volunteers, and mental health advocates. Together, we work toward creating a world where mental health is health.

Although there is still much more work to be done, our community has come a long way towards making this vision a reality. It wasn’t too long ago that people riding the streetcar would hold their breath as they passed by the CAMH building in downtown Toronto because they believed that sharing air with CAMH patients would result in them developing a mental illness themselves. Now, that same streetcar has a designated CAMH stop.

Patient recovery spaces To truly advocate for patient-first care, we knew we had to give patients a louder voice. That’s why we included community members and patient advisory groups in the design of the new inpatient rooms in two of our state-of-the-art clinical care buildings that opened last November. Their input contributed to more inclusive, respect-based and dignified spaces for patient recovery.

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COURTESY CAMH

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Beyond these new buildings, we’ve worked to improve our ability to deliver personalized care by conducting research with patients, caregivers and the different communities we serve. This has led to many groundbreaking initiatives for underserved populations within Canada.

For instance, through Shkaabe Makwa, Canada’s first hospital-based centre focusing on mental health for Indigenous people, CAMH can provide culturally appropriate care and connect First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities with service providers across Ontario. CAMH also took a stand to dismantle anti-Black racism by launching a 22-step strategy that aims to ensure safe, accessible and equitable care for Black patients and families, build a fair working environment for Black staff, and eliminate unfair treatment for Black populations within CAMH and across the mental health system.

Expands global community CAMH’s leadership in mental health research and care further expands to our global community as well. CAMH’s Temerty Centre for Therapeutic Brain foundationmag.ca

COURTESY CAMH

“Launching a 22step strategy that aims to ensure... equitable care.”

CAMH also took a stand to dismantle anti-Black racism

Intervention is a world-leading centre in brain stimulation treatment, research and training that uses clinical research projects to lead treatment advances using repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS).

The centre has led to the use of rTMS around the world, which could treat symptoms of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Through 1,539 global research collaborations in 121 countries, we’re also able to bring together the best minds recruited from around the globe. Intertwined in this international network of thought-sharing is CAMH’s Krembil Centre for Neuroinformatics where CAMH scientists are engaged in global partnerships to advance mental health research, researching across many pillars to define and predict mental illnesses and lead to new treatments.

Health for everyone By working together and for each other,

every member of the CAMH community — no matter where they are or what their social standing is — continues to help us create a world where mental health is health for everyone. Through their strength and support, CAMH is able to advance the movement for mental health in Canada and around the world.

And, because of them, we can provide the highest quality mental health care tailored to unique and evolving mental health needs.

If you would like to learn more about CAMH’s movement for mental health and how you can become a part of our growing community, please visit https://www.camh.ca/en/get-involved.

SARAH CHAMBERLIN is Vice President of Marketing and Donor Experience at CAMH Foundation. The Foundation supports the philanthropic efforts of CAMH, Canada’s largest mental health teaching hospital and a world leader in mental health research, treatment, and advocacy. She writes this column exclusively for each issue of Foundation Magazine.

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COLUMNIST

THE ACCIDENTAL PHILANTHROPIST MARK HALPERN

What it Means to Have Will Power

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BY MARK HALPERN, CFP, TEP, MFA-P

Mark Halpern, CFP, TEP, MFA-P 12

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September/October 2021

e love philanthropy and we love estate planning. Sitting squarely between the two is one of the most powerful tools we have at our disposal to do both: The last will and testament and a desire for donors to go from success to significance by creating a legacy for your charity and a legacy for their family.

A lot of people have learned about this from working with us, but it still bears repeating. That is, if you have a large estate tax bill coming due, as is likely the case when you die, one of the very best ways you can head it off is to donate the amount you might pay in taxes to a charity instead. Rule of thumb: every $2 that you give to charity will save you $1 in taxes AND receipts for charitable donations at death can mitigate 100 percent of estate taxes and can even be used to go back one year and save even more taxes. Thank you CRA. This is an exciting time for Canada’s philanthropy community as people across the country are beginning to learn about this concept through a national program called Will Power.

The program is modeled after another in the United Kingdom which aimed to increase the number of people who planned to leave some of their wealth to charity in their will. They did this because very few (only 5 percent) of all people who already had wills were even considering the thought of leaving a donation to charity in their will.

To improve that number, nonprofit organizations banded together and bought retail advertising — foundationmag.ca

COLUMNIST television, radio, online and outdoor bus shelters — to deliver a very simple and elegant message: Leave a gift to charity in your will. Short and sweet.

At the end of 10 years, the number of people leaving gifts to charities increased to 9 percent which represents an additional $50 billion in charitable gifts!

The Canadian Association of Gift Planners (CAGP) recently launched a national campaign for Will Power with similarly ambitious objectives. We couldn’t be happier.

Their timing couldn’t be better, either.

Here’s why: It’s taken a global pandemic for people to become more aware of their mortality and their incompletions such as not having an up to date will, powers of attorney, tax planning and life insurance in place. They are also more willing than ever to complete an estate directory and to talk to family members about their philanthropic intentions. Contact us to get our free Estate Planning Toolkit.

Two big benefits What makes us particularly excited is the fact that creating a will and planning a charitable bequest in your will — just as you might be doing right now — is a gateway or first step towards more comprehensive estate planning. Once we undertake this work for our clients, the transformation is dramatic. People feel more organized and confident knowing that everything is looked after properly.

And then they are ready to look at bigger estate planning questions like converting taxes into charity.

The Will Power campaign is powerful because it makes people aware that there is planning to be done.

Most people have done investing (playing offence). They know accumulation, but they haven’t done any planning (playing defense). Planning is very different; it centers on preservation.

Take, for example, the 80-year-old widow who learned that her $10 million investment portfolio was going to be worth only $6.5 million after the Canada Revenue Agency takes their cut of her final estate. In another instance we had to inform a client that their $50 million foundationmag.ca

estate would be worth $35 million if they didn’t do any planning to pay the taxes owing when they die.

In both cases, we applied our expertise drawn from 30 years of experience and knowledge of taxes, estate planning and insurance to address, to reduce tax liabilities and provide funds to pay all taxes that were coming due.

If you would like a headline example, consider Aretha Franklin’s estate. Because she didn’t prepare correctly, 45 percent of all the revenues her estate receives from now on will go to pay off her tax liabilities.

The long and surprising list of celebrities and wealthy non-celebrities who died without a will is staggering.

In addition to Philanthropy, Will Power is a natural catalyst for wealth preservation and tax minimization strategies. I was very excited about the concept while it was in development, and have been a program supporter, sponsor and ambassador from the start.

There are two big benefits that will come from the Will Power campaign. First, it will get people thinking about wealth and charity, which is wonderful. It will also lead people to think more about estate planning and family. The program will bring attention and more money into the charitable sector.

At the same time, this type of planning will result in more money that’s ultimately left to Canadian families too as families can look at “adopting” a charity.

The Will Power program will help us to create more Accidental Philanthropists™, those who’ve come to learn that they can leave money to charity and to family instead of to the tax department.

Your estate can be paid out to three possible beneficiaries, your family, the charities you designate, and the Canada Revenue Agency. With proper planning you can choose two of those. People become Accidental Philanthropists™ when they are given the opportunity to leave more money to charity and family.

The fact of the matter is that most people are going to be worth a lot more when they die than they are worth today.

They are custodians of wealth for future generations.

Without proper planning, their assets

will be highly taxed when they die. Those who will have a large estate tax bill on death, however, could plan and possibly acquire a life insurance policy for twice the amount they will owe. If they designate a charity or a donor-advised fund as the beneficiary, the donation receipt can mitigate all the estate taxes owing, at a cost of pennies per dollar.

The thing is, it’s important to do this planning now, while the sun is shining and we’re all still here to enjoy it. We can use the money that you aren’t ever going to use (we call it ‘never spend money’) to purchase a tax-exempt life insurance policy to benefit your family and the causes you are passionate about, or both.

The gifts we can plan are significant too. Would you prefer to donate $5,000 a year in cash, or would it make more sense to use that amount to fund a $1,000,000 life insurance policy with the charity as the owner and named as the beneficiary?

The $5,000 is considered a charitable donation and receives a charitable receipt.

Or you can pay the premium without a receipt and make the charity beneficiary of the $1,000,000 death benefit to create a $1 million charitable receipt which would offset $500,000 of estate taxes. But you can’t do both. There is no cookie cutter as every donor’s situation is unique.

Estate planning is a process, not an event, and provides a timely opportunity to transition from success to significance.

The impact of your generosity can make a real difference in the lives and causes you’re passionate about.

Contact us for a complimentary, noobligation consultation if this planning appeals to you. Our advisors across Canada are available to help you realize your philanthropic ambitions and obtain the peace of mind that comes from knowing your affairs are in order.

MARK HALPERN is a well-known CFP, TEP, MFA-P is a Certified Financial Planner, Trust & Estate Practitioner, Master Financial Advisor – Philanthropy. He was honoured to speak in the Disruptors Category at Moses Znaimer’s most recent ideacity conference. His talk generated high interest and comments.

Watch “The New Philanthropy” at bit.ly/MarkHalpernTalk.

Learn more at www.wealthinsurance.com. He writes this column exclusively for each issue of Foundation Magazine.

September/October 2021

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How a Passion for Animals and Mental Health Turned Into a National Non-profit

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BY ALLIE MURRAY

COURTESY THE CANADIAN COURAGE PROJECT

or Toronto sisters Shania and Anya Bhopa, sitting back and doing nothing to help youth facing structural vulnerabilities and their pets just wasn’t an option.

In 2019, Anya was volunteering at a local animal shelter in Stouffville, just outside of Toronto. During her time volunteering, she would see homeless youth — often her own age — have to surrender because they were no longer able to care for them.

Knowing how important her pets were for her own mental health, Anya and her older sister, Shania, founded The Canadian Courage Project, a non-profit dedicated to Sisters Anya Bhopa and Shania Bhopa, along with Andrew Reem, do the first ever drop off for the Canadian Courage Project. supporting youth experiencing homelessness and their animal companions across Canada.

Since the organization began amid the COVID-19 pandemic, “This has been such an incredible journey and to do it it has grown beyond the sisters’ wildest dreams — now working alongside my sister was so meaningful,” Anya said. alongside them are more than 50 volunteers, and community The sisters noticed a wide gap in the healthcare system partners like Jack.org, and over 15 youth shelters within for youth experiencing mental health concerns or unstable Toronto and the GTA. Thus far, the team has supported over housing, and knew they could do more.

1,000 youth in shelters and 74,000 young people in Ontario “No child’s health should be left up to chance,” Shania and have attended the CCP “Changemaker” educational workshop.

Anya said, which has become somewhat of a mantra for the The organization grounds its mission on two main goals: to organization. “As we know, there is no health without mental help support youth who are experiencing homelessness with health. Our community's prosperity is dependent on how we wellness departure care kits, which are individualized hygiene treat our youth.” kits tailored to each youth’s specific need, and to provide

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The Project has come a long way since the first year, expanding its impact and extending the reach.

mental health resources localized to the area.

“Not only do we want to support youth face to face, but really enhance our communities' understanding of the inequities around us. We are a community working together for our community” Shania said.

To ensure they connected their community in this process, The Canadian Courage Project designed their change clothing line, selling tote bags, t-shirts, and sweaters designed by local Toronto artists. The funds from those sales go towards filling the care kits — and for every tote bag purchased, one tote full of products will be donated to a youth in need.

The care kits include hygiene products, as well as products that are tailored towards the youth’s specific needs or interests.

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The first community care kit drop-off, was during Christmas in 2020, donated a variety of products to youth in the Greater Toronto Area, including essential winter items, hygiene and mental health resources. Similarly, the kits include products for those animal companions, such as dog or cat food, treats, pet toys and more.

Coming a long way in their first year, the sisters have their goals set much higher, “We hope to expand nationally and launch an internship program for disadvantaged youth,” the duo said.

With a goal to break the cycle of youth homelessness, The Canadian Courage Project is working towards doing more for unhoused youth than donating hygiene items. The organization now offers workshops in schools to enhance youth understanding foundationmag.ca

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COURTESY THE CANADIAN COURAGE PROJECT

All of the proceeds of sales of their products go to towards supporting youth facing homelessness across Ontario. The Project also helps educate students and provide them with programs to be more aware of needs around them.

about the homelessness crisis and how to foster positive mental well-being locally and globally. The workshop is based around the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals and was created by teacher candidates, masters and PhD students.

To do so, The Canadian Courage Project is working towards educating the public about homelessness, as well as the importance of prioritizing mental health. In August, they hosted an event called Homelessness in Ontario: What Can We Do? The event was in collaboration with Health for Homeless and featured a panel of experts in the housing crisis. Also, to showcase the importance of health — both physically and mentally — they hosted a yoga fundraiser on Oct. 14 and Oct. 21 to raise funds for a local shelter, as well as fostering a foundationmag.ca

“The Project is working towards educating the public about homelessness.” positive environment for wellbeing.

Similarly, to support youth who are transitioning out of shelters, The Canadian Courage Project is working towards launching an internship program. The program will allow youth to work closely with community partners and mentors, aiming to break the cycle of poverty and aid youth — on their way into young adulthood — find their place in their career.

“Young people everywhere deserve to feel well and have access to professional development when facing structural inequities.” Anya said.

ALLIE MURRAY is a communications specialist with The Canadian Courage Project. For more information, visit thecanadiancourageproject.com September/October 2021

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Speaking Up on Volunteerism A Q&A with Ontario Volunteer Centres

PIN - The People and Information Network Kim Cusimano, Executive Director

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ecovery can mean many things, but for volunteerism across Canada, it means investing in people.

Volunteerism is a hallmark of our nation — we have one of the highest rates of volunteerism in the world. It’s a deliberate choice we make to uplift our society with a strong volunteer force. Yet COVID-19 has disrupted volunteerism in every way possible. The role of volunteer centres and an understanding of the system we are actively rehabilitating must be better understood — by the public, non-profits, funders, and governments.

As a start, four members of the Ontario Volunteer Centre Network are responding to pressing questions on the state of volunteerism for Foundation Magazine:

Catch us up—how have volunteers supported the community during the pandemic?

Kim Cusimano: A record number of individuals invested their time, talent and human spirit to meet essential needs in food security, health care, seniors’ services, vaccination clinics, taxation support and continue to support the delivery of social 18

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Volunteer Mississauga Brampton Caledon Carine Strong, Executive Director

Volunteer Halton Heather Johnson, Director

Volunteer Toronto Joanne McKiernan

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VOLUNTEER REPORT service programs throughout the province.

As leaders in coordinating volunteer involvement, local Volunteer Centres continue to be a bridge connecting individuals to organizations delivering essential community support.

Ontario volunteers contribute $2.07B to Canada’s GDP as volunteerism plays a critical role in delivering essential programs, building personal opportunity (skills and employment) and fostering social inclusion. To help steward these contributions over the pandemic, Ontario’s 14 volunteer centres have built connections with 4,300 nonprofits and 3.3 million volunteer seekers from every demographic. We believe in the power of volunteerism. It mobilizes action, invests in, and shapes the communities we want to live, work and play in.

So how has COVID-19 changed the system of volunteering?

Carine Strong: Volunteer Centres were fighting a downward trend in volunteerism until the pandemic hit. Within weeks, tens of thousands of volunteers were stepping forward to help with the pandemic response — a surge in participation bigger than any in recent memory. The paradox is that volunteer interest far outstrips demand as organizations have been disrupted, and volunteer engagement had been de-prioritized or eliminated.

As organizations put on their proverbial oxygen masks, they divested in their future capacity and we’re seeing this play out in the disproportion of volunteer position supply to demand.

The volunteer audience has also changed. Older adults used to be the largest cohort of volunteers, giving over 200 hours each year to important causes, but as a vulnerable group many were unable or reluctant to volunteer during the pandemic.

Youth have also faced barriers to participation, as many of the most in-need roles have been geared toward adult participation, such as Meals on Wheels drivers or PPE delivery activities.

Amid the challenges there are some wonderful sparks of innovation. Micro-volunteering is on the rise, and quick activities like writing a letter to an isolated senior or helping to purchase groceries for a neighbour create new opportunities for community connection and participation. Another accelerating trend is an increase in virtual volunteer positions.

Organizations are trying to bring their programs and services online, but they need help to do it. Volunteers with digital skills make a big difference by providing tech support, monitoring social media platforms or setting up regular virtual meetings.

Where are all the volunteer managers whose job it is to engage volunteers?

Heather Johnson: It was May 2020 and I was a Senior Coordinator, Volunteer Engagement with a large, national organization. At 9 am on a Wednesday morning I was conducting a telephone interview with a potential committee volunteer; by noon I was laid-off, put onto the CEWS program, foundationmag.ca

and was being advised by the Human Resources staff that due to the cancellation of all in-person fundraising events and the uncertainties of securing comparable funding the likelihood of being recalled was slim to none. For the first time in my over 20 years of working as a leader of volunteers, I was unemployed. And I was joined by 1 in 2 colleagues who were laid off or permanently redeployed as a result of the pandemic.

Exactly one year later, I became Director of Volunteer Halton where I continue to advocate for the profession and the importance of volunteer management professionals. For each volunteer management professional, like me, who has successfully re-entered the non-profit sector, there are many who are still unemployed, working outside of their field due to lack of available positions, or who are doing “volunteer management and….”, dividing their working day between supporting volunteers and other responsibilities. This loss of expertise will have a profound ripple effect on our sector’s ability to get back online as there are hundreds of thousands of lost volunteer connections that have taken years of skill and leadership to develop.

What steps will it take to evolve volunteerism to support recovery?

Joanne McKiernan: Community participation has been on full display at the front lines of this pandemic, but there were so many more spaces where it couldn’t be. Local volunteers weren’t organizing community sport, or helping us to celebrate festivals. They weren’t creating theatre productions or brightening lonely days with a friendly visit. As we lament the ways life changed as a result of the pandemic, we may not have realized how many of those ways were volunteer-driven.

As governments, funders and community leaders build our plans for recovery it will be tempting to cast volunteer contributions as “nice-to-have” or to assume enabling volunteerism is as simple as uttering the phrase “isn’t there an app for that”? Volunteers are an essential driver of capacity for the non-profit sector, and the system of volunteer engagement has been badly damaged by the social and economic strain of the pandemic. We must work collaboratively to invest in volunteers — in the institutions that safely engage them and in the organizational capacity to manage ongoing participation.

Otherwise, we will lose the spirit of volunteerism built responding to this pandemic and forsake the community connections that will help us heal from it.

THIS OPINION editorial has been co-written by four members of the Ontario Volunteer Centre Network (PIN - The People and Information Network, Volunteer Mississauga Brampton Caledon, Volunteer Halton, and Volunteer Toronto).

To learn more about Ontario’s 14 local volunteer centres or to find a volunteer position in your community visit http://ovcn.ca/.

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Connecting With Volunteers in the Virtual Space: Key Tips to Show Your Support

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BY CASSANDRA SMALLMAN

fter over a year of public health restrictions, organizations worldwide have had to adapt and evolve to keep operations running remotely through new digital strategies. Restrictions helped spark innovations, and many nonprofits turned to new virtual ways to keep their volunteer programs going even when they couldn’t take place in person.

There are many great benefits that arose out of these virtual volunteering programs, including fostering more meaningful connections with volunteers throughout a difficult time.

The 2021 Volunteer Management Progress Report from Volpro indicates that in 2020, 52 percent of volunteer organizations offered more virtual volunteer opportunities. This shows plenty of organizations are investing in virtual volunteers, and there are plenty of benefits to providing these opportunities to both the organization and volunteer.

While it is clear that virtual volunteering is a great way to bring in more volunteers, it does require adjusted engagement techniques to keep volunteers connected and motivated, the first of which is great communication. Let’s jump in!

This article will offer four great tips to keep your virtual volunteers engaged and connected from anywhere: 1. Ensure ample communication.

2. Provide a range of volunteer opportunities.

3. Share online training resources.

4. Show your appreciation.

Connecting With Volunteers in the Virtual Space - 4 Key Tips 1. Ensure ample communication Communicating with your volunteers is critical, whether they’re in-person or virtual. However, with volunteers working remotely, it is even more important to invest time in innovative and routine communications to ensure they don’t feel alone as they work towards your cause.

Here are a few types of communications that can help you better connect with your virtual volunteers: 20

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A routine email newsletter - Keep your volunteers informed about all the great work done and the progress that has been made toward your organization’s cause. The more information about the positive impact they are contributing to, the more motivated they will be.

Monthly or bi-weekly virtual social gatherings - Foster a team environment by hosting virtual social events over video conferencing platforms to bring your volunteers together.

Consider playing games or participating in other interactive activities to encourage engagement and foster a sense of community among your volunteers.

Periodic one-on-one check-ins - Make sure to schedule personal check-in calls with your volunteers to make sure they have everything they need to do their very best work for your organization.

With tools like email marketing, text, and more, you can easily stay in touch with remote volunteers and provide them with the information they need to know.

2. Provide a range of volunteer opportunities One of the greatest benefits of virtual volunteer opportunities is that a wide range of volunteers can participate from all over the world with varying skill levels and qualifications. In order to attract and harness the full potential of online volunteers, it’s important to offer a wide variety of volunteer opportunities (such as offering digital marketing assistance or promoting an online petition) that your supporters can choose from based on their interests, skills, and personal schedule.

To get started, simply create these volunteer opportunities in your volunteer management system and share them through your social media, website, and email channels. Then, volunteers can easily review and sign up for the opportunities that work best for them.

This empowers volunteers to make the best decisions for themselves, while reducing the administrative workload of foundationmag.ca

VOLUNTEER REPORT your volunteer manager — offering a truly win-win scenario for everyone.

3. Share online training resources Since your virtual volunteer will be working remotely and likely on their own, it's critically important to ensure that they have access to all the training and resources they need to do their best work. Luckily, many great online learning management systems are available to ensure that all you volunteers are trained and ready to work.

For the best results, create online training courses and video content catered to each type of virtual volunteer role.

In addition, you’ll likely want a general training course that everyone is required to complete.

However you decide you want to train your volunteers, it’s important to ensure that they are prepared and comfortable doing the task they signed up to do remotely.

4. Show your appreciation Our final tip to ensure that your virtual volunteers feel connected to — and valued by — your organization is to show appreciation and gratitude for their hard work. Volunteers donate their time and skills, after all, so taking the time to create a volunteer appreciation strategy is important to retain those individuals.

Your virtual volunteers are no different.

When creating your appreciation strategy, consider the following ideas: ❯ Send a quick thank you email or message to every volunteer after each shift or upon registration. ❯ Send frequent impact communications that demonstrate your organization appreciates the concrete difference their work has made. ❯ Organize special appreciation events like lunches or games nights to thank your volunteers and bring them together.

No matter what volunteer appreciation activities your organization chooses to invest in, the goal is to make your volunteers feel valued. This will ultimately help your organization retain more volunteers in the long term. Now is the time for your organization to review how you can implement some new virtual volunteer programs. Staying connected with your volunteer team and keeping them motivated doesn’t take too much time.

All you need to do is make sure to follow the four steps in this article, and you will be well on your way to retaining and engaging with your virtual volunteers in meaningful ways. Good luck!

CASSANDRA SMALLMAN is a passionate content creator dedicated to fostering positive impact through thought leadership in both the Nonprofit sector and live events.

We Create Accidental Philanthropists™ We help charities and foundations with Legacy Planned Giving Programs.

People become Accidental Philanthropists™ when given the opportunity to give money to charity and family instead of the tax department.

Donations are not all the same. Cash, cheques, and credit cards are the least cost-effective or tax efficient ways to give.

We have identified more than 20 better ways to be more generous and your 8 best prospects to become Accidental Philanthropists™.

Contact us to obtain the reports.

Watch “The New Philanthropy”, Mark Halpern’s ‘Ted Talk’ at Moses Znaimer’s ideacity conference http://bit.ly/MarkHalpernTalk Mark Halpern, CFP, TEP, MFA-P Certified Financial Planner, Trust & Estate Practitioner, Master Financial Advisor – Philanthropy Helping families and charities for 30 years

WEALTHinsurance.com® Please contact us to learn more info@WEALTHinsurance.com 416 364 2929 | 866 566 2001 foundationmag.ca

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VOLUNTEER REPORT

Motivate & engage The Best Ways to

Volunteers

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BY RAJ HEGDE

hether you have a massive army of volunteers and volunteer management staff, or a handful of volunteers reporting to the founder of the nonprofit, volunteers are one of the most valuable assets.

Volunteers in the United States are 63 million strong. They hold up the foundation of civil society. No matter what kind of volunteer work they do, they are contributing in invaluable ways. They are heroes! They are your advocates, champions, ambassadors, and worker bees. They fill many roles in different capacities. Their diverse skill sets give your nonprofit access to a selection of expertise. These include board members, committee leads, exhibit guides, ushers, admins, and more.

Therefore, it’s imperative that you recruit and keep a strong volunteer base. That’s an ongoing process for every nonprofit as you’d need volunteers for a number of activities now and in the future. But those you already have must be retained by valuing their time, effort, and skills, and by managing them wisely. Let us see how it works.

How to Motivate and Engage Volunteers 1. Check your assumptions about volunteers 2. Design a volunteer engagement program 3. Show your appreciation 4. Value your volunteers’ time 5. Play to their strengths 6. Communicate and listen to their feedback 7. Give volunteers the training and resources they need 8. Cultivate your volunteers for other, bigger roles Check your assumptions about volunteers Before you focus on engaging and motivating your volunteers, check your own assumptions. Think rationally about the value that volunteers do or could bring to your organization. Your volunteers are like money in the bank and should be valued accordingly.

When a charity receives a gift of $25,000 or more for example, that’s considered a major contribution. But what about the volunteer who gives over one thousand hours of personal time to a nonprofit? What’s the value of that? Does your nonprofit know the value of a volunteer hour and the ROI of retaining supporters?

According to Independent Sector, the estimated national average value of volunteer time for 2018 was $25.43 per hour.

For many devoted volunteers, that could amount to a $25,000 gift in a year or over a lifetime, as a result.

Treat volunteers as staff members for this exercise: List their jobs and hours and what appropriate staff members would

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earn doing the same jobs. Make sure to include a number for benefits that the equivalent staffers would earn. Sum up those numbers to make a powerful case for investing in volunteers.

Volunteers are not “free labour” and they’re not “lowskilled”. This attitude leads to the self-fulfilling prophecy of expecting and therefore tolerating, a mediocre performance by volunteers. Time donors require as much of an ongoing, organized investment as paid staff or money donors. This will make it possible to keep your nonprofit volunteers motivated and engaged, as well as accountable and reliable.

Design a volunteer engagement program Often, volunteer involvement is handled far below the top of the organization. It may be a sub-unit of any department willing to house it that is not necessarily a logical home for it. A strong and healthy volunteer program is ideally handled from the top of the organization.

Volunteering should be perceived as a critical organization management function. It should be discussed in the boardroom and included in long-range planning and other mission-critical activities.

A volunteer engagement policy should be developed by management, key volunteers and leadership. It takes more than just creating a quality experience for volunteers, so include goals and strategies. In turn, this should become a set of guidelines and standards which a nonprofit can replicate across all volunteer touchpoints.

If you don’t have a volunteer engagement policy, take the first step by planning a brainstorming session on the topic of volunteer engagement. To get started, think about these three things: What are the motivations of nonprofit volunteers?

The decision to volunteer, like the decision to donate financially, is an emotional one. Volunteers are motivated by different things. People generally get involved for one or more of the following reasons: ❯ They want to contribute to a cause in which they believe ❯ They want to learn new skills ❯ Their need to fulfill business and/or social expectations ❯ They want to have a sense of ownership and control that they cannot find in a work situation ❯ They’re motivated by a desire for change ❯ They want to have fun and enjoy what they are doing ❯ They want to meet new people

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Think about each of these motives and build your program around them. And be upfront about asking each of your prospective volunteers about their motives, so you can better match them with an assignment.

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VOLUNTEER REPORT Why do volunteers leave?

According to a United Way survey, here are the top reasons why volunteers leave an organization (in order of importance): ❯ They were underutilized ❯ The physical environment did not support their efforts ❯ The atmosphere was impersonal, tense or cold ❯ They made a suggestion that was not acted on or responded to ❯ They did not see the connection between one day’s work and another ❯ Veteran long-term volunteers wouldn’t let them into their “insider” group ❯ They did not know how to say they wanted to leave ❯ Employees treated them as an interruption, not as welcome, anticipated help ❯ The reality of their experience was not what they expected when they signed on

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In order for volunteers to keep volunteering, they must feel valued. They must see the results of their work and be respected.

Considering why volunteers get involved and why they leave is a good catalyst for designing a volunteer engagement policy. ❯

Pro Tip: Have a Volunteer “Bill of Rights and Responsibilities”.

Why do I need a Volunteer Bill of Rights and Responsibilities?

It’s quite a useful document to have. It can help you develop a policy and guide you through the stewardship process.

It can also be used as an interviewing tool and discussion starter. Don’t just give it as a hand-out. It will be ignored completely. Going through it with a prospective volunteer will help orient them and set the proper tone for the new relationship.

This process may also alert you to any potential problems with the match. One of the proposed responsibilities may make a prospective volunteer balk and reveal problems with the match you’d rather know sooner than later. Maybe it’s not a good fit, or maybe you can discuss how to fix the problem in advance.

Show your appreciation Treat your volunteers like major donors. They give their time, energy, and sometimes funds. Show your appreciation with daily stewardship. Volunteers are diverse, and each one requires custom interaction — this will, in turn, strengthen your relationship.

The possibilities are endless, but there are ways to recognize volunteers that you can incorporate into your menu of individual kudos and group appreciation efforts.

Here are some of them: ❯ First of all, thank your volunteers. And then thank them again. ❯ Host a volunteer appreciation party, and if the budget permits allow family or other guests. Add a theme and encourage all staff to attend. Require employees that regularly work with

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volunteers to participate in a creative appreciation exercise.

Have a photo booth at a luncheon to record your volunteers celebrating. Put the photos on your website and post them on your social media.

Host a unique event. Volunteers at St. Anthony’s in St. Petersburg, FL. were treated to a short cruise captured on video and put on YouTube. Think of an excursion to a local attraction or field trip to a museum or performance. Venues may offer you a deal or donate the time, especially if you reciprocate by making them an official sponsor.

If there’s no budget for an event, each department could record a video message about why volunteers are valuable.

Consolidate the messages and play the video during a routine volunteer meeting.

Send handwritten notes of appreciation. Handwritten notes are rare these days, so when it happens, it’s noticed and appreciated.

Share your volunteers’ success stories to demonstrate the important difference they make. If a volunteer helped a nonEnglish speaking child learn to read a book in English all the way through, certainly that would be something to crow about.

Honour top volunteers in big and small ways. Small recognition efforts mean a lot — in print, online and event settings.

Designate a Volunteer of the Month recognition, or something that occasionally features volunteers in your newsletter, social media, and other outlets.

Value your volunteers’ time People volunteer because they want to make a difference in the world. They have busy lives and competing responsibilities as we all do. Therefore, if they don’t feel like they’re making a difference, they won’t continue to donate their time and energy.

Signing on anyone who steps forward to help in vague ways, without clear objectives and coordination simply wastes time, for both the paid staff and volunteers. Give volunteers a sense of purpose while they’re working with you: set expectations, define goals, and make sure they have what they need to make the most of their time.

Volunteers meetings are important to support open lines of communication but don’t hold unnecessary meetings or wander off your agenda. Wrap them up quickly.

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Play to their strengths Volunteers enjoy using their expertise for a good cause. Therefore, allow them to apply their strengths to better your organization, and ensure the task is challenging and stimulating.

Don’t just use your volunteers to do the work nobody else wants to do.

If envelopes need to be stuffed, so be it, but perhaps put them in charge of the project. Do your best to utilize their skill-

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VOLUNTEER REPORT set while ensuring that each task or assigned department is meaningful and enjoyable to them in some way.

Pro Tip: Respect their uniqueness It would be natural to assign an accountant to the finance department or a former nurse to the patient ward of a hospital, but realize that volunteers may want to do something different than they do or did in their professional lives. The accountant may prefer to work with animals or be meeting and greeting people. The nurse may prefer to work on an art exhibit.

As long as they’re capable and can do the job, assign them to their preferred task/area. A happy volunteer is a loyal volunteer.

Communicate and listen to their feedback Listen to what your volunteers say. Volunteers who feel ignored probably won’t be volunteers for long. Therefore, ask their opinions, listen to their suggestions, and always follow up. When a volunteer approaches you with an idea, listen and ask questions. If it can be accommodated, let them know when it’s put into effect.

However, if it’s one that is not actionable, follow up with a timely explanation. Understand what the volunteer wants, learn what their expectations are, and communicate regularly.

The level of your volunteers’ engagement reflects your ability to listen to their wants, needs, and suggestions.

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Pro Tip: Create a feedback survey.

Volunteers should be able to speak up directly, but some people are not comfortable giving constructive feedback in a group setting or during one-on-one meetings. A well-designed survey can be distributed regularly or available at all times to solicit feedback. Or use an online survey app like JotForm Survey Maker or SurveyMonkey. And make their names optional.

This way a volunteer can raise their concern(s) without singling themselves out, and it will guarantee honest feedback.

Give volunteers the training and resources they need Certainly, volunteers at nonprofits deserve the utmost respect. Provide them with the resources and tools they need to be successful, whether it’s a pen and paper or a computer with the proper software. Providing resources also includes providing sufficient training to do their jobs.

It’s critical that the staff who are interacting with your volunteers are “on the same page” when it comes to volunteer engagement standards. Volunteers should have a welcoming point-person available to them who has time for their questions.

This point-person should have the capacity to orient them to your work, and the desire to help them improve their skill set.

Conducting regular performance evaluations with volunteers is another way to treat them as co-workers and show them you support their efforts and want to see them succeed. Respect them enough to spend time talking about their work and increase their responsibilities (when appropriate).

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Cultivate your volunteers for other, bigger roles Your volunteers may also be leaders — staff, advisors, board members, and consultants. Your volunteer pool may yield not only other human resources but donors. Sure, you’ll have volunteers who just want to show up and assist with whatever task you provide. However, the care and feeding of all of your volunteers are critical for your organization’s reputation and growth. You never know where resources will come from, so think of your volunteer force as a network of opportunity.

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Conclusion Motivating and engaging nonprofit volunteers is easier than your organization may think. Your volunteers want to make a difference.

Allow them to grow and, together, your work will create change that supports your mission. And don’t forget to have fun with your volunteers—they are phenomenal people that share your same desire for success.

RAVIRAJ HEGDE heads the sales and marketing team at Donorbox. His growth-hacking abilities have helped Donorbox boost fundraising efforts for thousands of nonprofit organizations.

Worth Watching

Here’s a useful webinar on How to Find Your Next 20 Volunteer Superstars with free tools and smart strategies. In conversation with Tobi Johnson, an internationally sought-after Tobi Johnson expert and master trainer in volunteer management, we discuss how you can attract a committed fan base to your cause.

Tobi Johnson is known for her modern thought leadership, highly practical evidence-based strategies, and innovative, “big hat” thinking around engaging, supporting, and acknowledging the work of volunteers.

She is the President of Tobi Johnson & Associates, a consulting firm whose mission is to help non-profit organisations make connections with remarkable volunteers. In 2015, she founded VolunteerPro, an online training and networking community for leaders of volunteers. Each year, she also conducts the Volunteer Management Progress Report, a global state-of-theindustry survey. In 2018, nearly 1,600 professionals from 16 countries participated.

Take your time to watch the video and learn the art of attracting the best volunteers. https://youtu.be/nuWx9ZmE10E

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VOLUNTEERS IN ACTION

Nicole Ewing

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rescia University College alumna Nicole Ewing ’01, confidently affirms that the secret to her success is that she never self-selects out and won’t allow notions like imposter syndrome or fear of rejection stand in her way. Ready or not, the passionate financial leader has always made it a point to open those doors available to her — knowing that she will grow through moments of insecurity and become comfortable in times of discomfort.

Nicole wasn’t always so confident though. “I was a troubled kid. I flunked classes, had my fair share of trips to the principal’s office, and dropped out of not one, not two, but three high schools.” She says that she may have even been expelled, though to be honest, she couldn’t have been bothered to confirm it at the time. She just stopped going. She was preoccupied. Preoccupied with figuring out where she was going to sleep. How she was going to come up with bus fare to get to work. What she was going to eat.

She eventually graduated and landed a job at a local factory. Thrilled to be earning $2 more than minimum wage, she packed cups for 12 hours a day. After a few months, she joined the janitorial team, then worked on one of the factory machines. But she knew she was meant for something more.

With the help of a guidance counsellor, she created a plan to get herself into university. One year later, she was accepted to Brescia, with the highest scholarship available, after working hard to bring her grades up to a previously unimaginable 93 percent.

Nicole graduated from Brescia with an honours degree in Philosophy and carried the school’s flag at her graduation ceremony — an honour reserved for the recipient of the gold medal! “Earning that gold medal was my proudest personal accomplishment. It was my North Star. Until now.”

Brescia recently awarded Nicole with the Professional Mentoring Program Mentor of the Year Award and the 2021 Carmelle Murphy Alumnae Award of Distinction. “I am humbled and yet so proud… of 20 year-ago me. The one who gave 44-year-old me the opportunity to give back. To share my experiences, my wins and losses, to guide another young

“

…the experience of mentoring is a professional and personal highlight ...

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woman on her journey.”

Today, Ewing lives in Ottawa, Ontario and serves as the National Director, Tax and Estate Planning at TD Wealth. In addition to her rewarding career at TD Wealth, and her mentoring work at Brescia, Nicole also proudly serves as the Deputy Chair of the Ottawa Branch of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP) and as Deputy Chair of STEP Canada’s Awards Committee.

Nicole says that the experience of mentoring is a professional and personal highlight. That she’s made life-long friends who she can celebrate, learn with, and console as they forge their own paths. An ardent supporter of women’s education and leadership, Ewing believes in the power and importance of supporting the next generation of women leaders and encourages Brescia’s students to: “Be bold. Be brave. Be prepared.”

”

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VOLUNTEERS IN ACTION

Oneida Baxhia

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olunteers make a difference for those with arthritis questions, and Oneida Baxhia is a volunteer who has been on both sides. She knows firsthand the value of the Arthritis Society’s Arthritis Line.

“A lot of the callers are grateful for it,” she says. “They call in because they’re lost and don’t know where to turn.”

Baxhia, 26, knows that feeling of gratitude well and is easily able to imagine herself in the callers’ shoes. Her own first experience with the Arthritis Line was when she was looking for information and resources to help her mother and her extended family.

“A lot of my family members have arthritis, and I didn’t know where to start to get that information so I turned to the Arthritis Society,” she explains.

The Arthritis Line is a toll-free telephone and email information support service, run by trained volunteers who can answer questions about arthritis, how to manage the disease and where to access arthritis-related resources.

It welcomes calls from people living with arthritis, family members, friends or caregivers to people with arthritis. The service is available nationally in both English and French.

Baxhia is one of 17 trained volunteers who staff the telephone and email service. She does one shift a week.

“It was a great way for me to get involved with the Arthritis Society and to help others,” she shares. “I like this kind of work because I get to be on the frontlines and see the impact.”

One caller sticks out in her mind, as she reminded Baxhia of her grandmother. Before calling the Arthritis Line, she’d already called many other numbers, looking for information about programs that might help her modify her home to manage better with her arthritis and stay in the home as long as possible.

“I think I stayed on the phone with her my entire shift because I wanted to make sure she had help,” she says. “I made sure to get her the information she was looking for.

“That felt special to me, because I felt like we were making a difference.”

The Arthritis Line users also think it’s pretty special, “Wow! Thank you for answering so quickly. You have given me what I need,” writes one user.

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From April to the beginning of September of this year, nearly 1,200 people have reached out to the Arthritis Line.

“The Arthritis Society wouldn’t be able to do what we do without our amazing volunteers. From answering questions from anxious callers through the Arthritis Line to the volunteers who make our camps — both virtual and in-person — possible for children living with arthritis, we are so grateful for the time and energy our volunteers give to the cause,” says Trish Barbato, president and CEO of the Arthritis Society.

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I get to be on the frontlines and see the impact ...

”

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ConnectED, We thrive.

AFP CONGRESS NOV 22-24, 2021 You’re invited to Canada’s largest and most prominent fundraising conference!

Take control of your professional development and invest in yourself at AFP Congress 2021 from November 22 to 24 virtually.

Not convinced? Here are 7 reasons why you have to be there!

1. CONNECT FROM WHEREVER YOU ARE, WHENEVER YOU WANT: Join from anywhere in your comfiest pjs! The best part is you’ll get recordings to relive your favourite sessions and catch ones you missed.

2. LEARNINGS FROM LEADING INDUSTRY EXPERTS: Attend meaningful sessions and keynote plenaries by innovative thought leaders including Riaz Meghji and Edgar Villaneuva.

6. PLAN FOR THE FUTURE STRATEGICALLY: Learn about solutions, pivots and new ways of fundraising to help reinvent and rejuvenate your strategic plan.

3. SMALL GROUP MENTORSHIP: Ask your burning questions at intimate speed mentoring sessions.

7. HAVE FUN WITH LIKE-MINDED PEOPLE: Let your hair down and join us for Yoga classes, Bingo, Dance classes, a Cook-A-Long, Wine Tasting, Virtual Escape Room, and lots more!

4. EARN 10+ CFRE CREDITS: Attend Congress 2021 to earn credits for your CFRE accreditation.

5. BUILD YOUR PROFESSIONAL NETWORK: Meet nonprofit professionals working to build a better world, because connected we thrive (which coincidentally is the conference theme this year)!

REGISTER AT AFPTORONTO.ORG/CONGRESS-2021

VOLUNTEERS IN ACTION

“

It’s what I love so much about living in a small village in Cape Breton ...

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Sophie Sawler

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hen StFX student Sophie Sawler saw that the residents of Koster Huis, a Small Options home in her home community of Mabou, NS, were unable to work due to COVID-19, the fourth year BASc Health student wanted to see if she could do something to help.

That was summer 2020. Since then, Ms. Sawler, who is taking a biomedical major and social determinant of health minor at StFX, has been making and selling rosaries and jewelry, raising so far over $2,000 to help benefit the residents.

“I started working at Koster Huis in the winter of 2020 as a continuing care assistant. When COVID hit Nova Scotia I directly saw the impact it had on the residents and how it disrupted their routine,” she says, recalling how over a year ago, the residents at Koster Huis were at work around Inverness County with jobs that were an integral component of their weekly schedule.

“When COVID-19 arrived to Nova Scotia, the residents at Koster Huis were not able to go to work and subsequently collect any pay or reap the emotional rewards of having a fulfilling activity to perform throughout the week. Working in the community is an important aspect of the residents’ daily life as it provides them with a sense of occupational purpose, teaches them important skills and allows them to be social.”

She says she and the staff at Koster Huis decided they needed to find a way to integrate activities in their day to fulfill the gap of their lost jobs. That’s s how the rosary/jewelry idea was developed.

In her spare time, between keeping up with studies and

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extracurriculars, and working as a house director in Riley Hall, she made and sold rosaries and jewelry through her social media platforms with all profits going to the residents at Koster Huis.

“The money I raised has been used to book several months of rental space at a local community center where the residents have been going several days a week to engage in fun and educational activities. I also had the opportunity to take the residents from Koster Huis on several delivery trips, in which we drove around Inverness County and delivered the products that were sold — I think they enjoy being part of the process and it is extremely fun to spend time with the residents as our own little business team.”

Ms. Sawler says she has always enjoyed being involved in her community.

“It's what I love so much about living in a small village in Cape Breton and it also is what I love about being at StFX. The size of our community is small, but the support is immense. People have always shown me support in these communities, and I want to return the favour. COVID gave me the opportunity to recognize a group of people that needed my help and I wanted to seize the opportunity by offering it.”

She says she’s learned a lot about running this small business and trying to maximize the ways she can make money for the residents at Koster Huis.

Anyone interested in purchasing a rosary or a piece of jewelry to support this fundraiser can reach out to Ms. Sawler via her Facebook Platform at Sophie Sawler or email at sawler_mabou@icloud.com September/October 2021

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VOLUNTEER REPORT

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n insight into the many ways that volunteers contribute to the communities, help their fellow citizens, support their charities and non-profits, and lead the way in demonstrating a selfless approach to society’s needs and those in need.

Passion, dedication and a commitment to community are the driving forces behind the volunteers who receive the Sovereign’s Medal for Volunteers.

The medal recognizes the exceptional volunteer achievements of Canadians from across the country in a wide range of fields and pays tribute to the dedication and commitment of volunteers. They embody the caring country we aspire to build.

The Medal The Medal for Volunteers consists of a silver circular medal that is 36 mm in diameter with a suspension ring. The obverse depicts a contemporary effigy of the Sovereign, circumscribed with the inscription in capital letters of the Canadian Royal Title and the word “CANADA”, separated by two maple leaves.

The reverse indicates the ideas of caring and generosity, represented by two interlaced hearts. The sunburst pattern of the rim symbolizes the time that volunteers are giving and their actions. The ribbon uses the viceregal colours of blue and gold. The five gold stripes evoke the fingers of a hand, present in the Caring Canadian Award emblem, while the deep red colour is associated with royalty.

The design of medal was created by the Canadian Heraldic Authority, based on a concept by Darcy DeMarsico of the Chancellery of Honours. The medal is manufactured by the Royal Canadian Mint at its Ottawa facility.

The following individuals were presented with a Canadian honour during a private virtual ceremony. The private ceremonies were attended by a small gathering of family and friends to celebrate 32

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VOLUNTEER REPORT each individual for their contributions to their communities and to Canada.

Order of Canada Charles Roy Guest, C.M., Calgary, Alberta Nipper Guest is a successful businessperson and philanthropist.

As a founder and former president of Spartan Controls, he initiated an innovative profit-sharing and employee ownership plan as a means to motivate and reward staff, which created a culture of giving back within the organization. Along with his late wife, Eleanor Guest, he also established the Bearspaw Benevolent Foundation to help vulnerable and underprivileged members of society through donations and bursary contributions totalling several million dollars.

Meritorious Service Decorations (Civil Division) Art Gruenig, M.S.M., Cranbrook, British Columbia Art Gruenig has devoted much of the past four decades to protecting and reviving vulnerable species in the East Kootenay region. Focusing on local populations of western and mountain bluebirds and western painted turtles, he has performed field work to provide safe nesting habitats and protection from predators. By educating interested groups, he has fostered awareness and engagement in nature conservation.

Thomas Belliveau, Dieppe, New Brunswick Thomas Belliveau has been volunteering in the community for over 50 years, supporting the local economy, youth and the arts.

He has given of his time to Scouts Canada, the Restigouche and Campbellton hospitals, as well as the Campbellton Chamber of Commerce and Downtown Campbellton Centre-Ville.

Alex Polowin, Ottawa, Ontario Since 1996, Second World War veteran Alex Polowin has volunteered with the Tamir Foundation, organizing events and fundraisers to assist children and adults in Ottawa with developmental disabilities. He has also been involved with Historica Canada for the past 15 years, sharing stories and memories of his time on board HMCS Huron and HMCS Pictou.

Pierre-Paul Tellier, Montréal, Quebec Through Head & Hands, Pierre-Paul Tellier has offered medical, social and legal assistance to people from all walks of life for 37 years. His compassion and willingness to help others, in conjunction with the time and effort he contributes, have served to better his community.

Pieter Valkenburg, North Tryon, Prince Edward Island Pieter Valkenburg has dedicated himself to preserving Canada’s military history by conducting research and collecting information on fallen soldiers from cenotaphs over many years.

He travels across the country and abroad to gather details from the families of these soldiers to ensure the articles he writes and later shares with the public are accurate. foundationmag.ca

Individuals were presented with a Canadian honour during a private virtual ceremony. The private ceremonies were attended by a small gathering of family and friends to celebrate each individual for their contributions to their communities and to Canada.

PHOTOS: SGT. MATHIEU ST-ARMOUR, RIDEAU HALL

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VOLUNTEER IMPACT

138 Stories of Individuals in Action BRITISH COLUMBIA Christopher McDougal Croner, Abbostford, British Columbia For the past 50 years, Christopher McDougal Croner has been delivering meals to clients in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside neighbourhood as a volunteer driver with the Health and Home Care Society of BC’s Meals on Wheels Program. His dedication not only ensures the client’s nutritional needs are met, but it also ensures their well-being as he conducts informal safety checks with each client.

Barbara DuMoulin, Salt Spring Island, British Columbia Over the past 15 years, Barbara DuMoulin has shared her knowledge of the island’s history with visitors and members of her community through her involvement with the Salt Spring Island Historical Society. She also promotes the representation of women in various social spheres through her activities with the Canadian Federation of University Women Salt Spring Island Club.

Derek Egan, Victoria, British Columbia For more than two decades, Derek Egan has been contributing to multiple service organizations in his community, notably as an executive member of the Commissionaires Victoria, the Islands and Yukon. As a founder and director of the Saanich Police Historical Society, he has been preserving the history and significance of the local police force since 2009.

Hilary Feldman, Vancouver, British Columbia Hilary Feldman has been an active Girl Guide leader since 2009, and has served as treasurer, commissioner and Trefoil Guild member with Girl Guides of Canada. She recently chaired the editorial committee of the Girl Guides of Canada magazine Canadian Guider, which provides girls with a platform to share their stories about and experiences in guiding.

Pam Hiensch, Richmond, British Columbia Having founded The Richmond Singers and The Richmond Ensemble, Pam Hiensch entertains at charity events in her community and helps to break the isolation of seniors by performing at long-term care facilities. For the past four decades, she has also been serving meals to the homeless and those in need at the Richmond Food Bank and the St. Alban Anglican Church.

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Colleen Kellner, North Vancouver, British Columbia For more than a decade, Colleen Kellner has been dedicated to inspiring young women through her involvement with the British Columbia Council of Girl Guides of Canada. She has served as deputy provincial commissioner and on the steering committee for major camps, and helped plan national and international guiding trips.

Maria Lee, Richmond, British Columbia Since 2002, Maria Lee has been committed to the 8th Vancouver Girl Guides Unit, and has been serving as its lead volunteer since 2004. As one of Canada’s largest Girl Guide groups, her unit proudly represents the Canadian guiding movement in the annual Vancouver Chinatown Spring Festival Parade.

Anne Marshall, Salt Spring Island, British Columbia Since 1977, Anne Marshall has been involved in her community, supporting the integration of all segments of society by hosting refugees and international students through Rotary Club sponsorship programs. She also helps the homeless in her community and those in need through her involvement with the Unitarian Fellowship of Salt Spring Island.

Susan Morrison, Kelowna, British Columbia For nearly 40 years, Susan Morrison has been actively involved in promoting women’s education through her involvement with the Canadian Federation of University Women. She also encourages independent learning through reading by helping with the Friends of the Library and supports vulnerable people by taking part in in-residence therapies designed to ease the loneliness of seniors.

Louise Prouse, Surrey, British Columbia Since 1986, Louise Prouse has been involved with the 2290 Royal Canadian Army Cadet Corps and the Army Cadet League of Canada British Columbia Branch. As the honours and awards chair, she ensures cadets in British Columbia are recognized for their service, and has been instrumental in planning the annual Pillars conference.

Roger Prouse, Surrey, British Columbia Former cadet Roger Prouse is committed to ensuring youth in British Columbia have the opportunity to enjoy the cadet experience, and has been volunteering with the Army Cadet League of Canada British Columbia Branch since 2003. He was recently involved in the development of a new award for foundationmag.ca

VOLUNTEER REPORT the top cadet instructor cadre officer, for which he created the eligibility criteria, display case and design for the award itself.

Steve Scott, Tsawwassen, British Columbia Since 1982, Steve Scott has had a significant role in the betterment of his community through his involvement with the Tsawwassen Boundary Bay Lions Club, Delta Police and Deltassist. His contributions have helped ensure the security and well-being of community members from all walks of life.

Ronald Theroux, Surrey, British Columbia Ronald Theroux has been a volunteer with the Navy Cadet League of Canada for 40 years, and has served in numerous positions, such as division president of the British Columbia Mainland Division. In 1990, he co-founded the Fraser Alumni Association, which raises funds for cadet activities, facilities maintenance, and an annual scholarship awarded to distinguished cadets.

Yvonne Theroux, Surrey, British Columbia Since 1999, Yvonne Theroux has been an active volunteer with the Navy Cadet League of Canada, serving as treasurer of the New Westminster and District Branch. She has supported the Fraser Sea Cadet Corps since 1960, serving as a lead member of the Ladies Auxiliary for nearly 20 years, and co-founded the Fraser Alumni Association, where she plays an integral part in planning the annual fundraising barbecue.

Robert Thompson, Langley, British Columbia For more than four decades, Robert Thompson has served with various branches of the Royal Canadian Legion, visiting with school-aged youth to provide them with a greater understanding of the global role of the Canadian Armed Forces. Since 2005, he has helped mentor and train new instructors and volunteers with the Army Cadet League of British Columbia, ensuring they are better able to mediate conflict in their respective role.

Marion Weir, Langley, British Columbia Since 1981, Marion Weir has served Girl Guides of Canada in such crucial roles as provincial camp and training advisor for Camp SOAR, which accommodates over 2 500 girls and staff. As area commissioner, she established a wellness committee to make mental health resources readily available to both girls and guiders.

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ALBERTA John David Hind, Calgary, Alberta For more than three decades, John David Hind has helped raise funds and plan events for the Alberta Standardbred Horse Association and the Calgary Stampede, ensuring the success of many celebrated public events. As a volunteer leader with Scouts Canada, he has helped youth in Calgary gain confidence and contribute to their communities.

Leslie Horton, Calgary, Alberta As a dedicated volunteer with Girl Guides of Canada since 1991, Leslie Horton has given her time to provide unique opportunities to young Guide leaders. As co-leader of her local unit since 2017, she was instrumental in coordinating fundraising events to send the unit to Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island in July 2019.

Muhammad Azam Kahloo, Calgary, Alberta Muhammad Azam Kahloo has been an active member of the Pakistan Canada Association of Calgary since 2006, where he helps create inclusive programming, opportunities for youth leadership, and seniors’ activities. He also helps empower women in the community to become more selfsufficient through a language program that contributes to their confidence and sense of belonging.

Donna Leonard Robb, Calgary, Alberta Donna Leonard Robb has been contributing to Girl Guides of Canada since 1978, and is noted for establishing a new set of risk management policies during her tenure as chief commissioner. She was also the executive director of the Famous 5 Foundation, and played a key role in creating the Future 5 Program, which encourages girls to become the next generation of women leaders.

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SASKATCHEWAN Rory Allen, Regina, Saskatchewan Since 1996, Rory Allen has been performing his Elvis tribute act to benefit charities and community groups in Saskatchewan. In doing so, he has helped these organizations meet their fundraising goals and has strengthened the region’s cultural community.

Pat Birchall, Regina, Saskatchewan For more than a decade, Pat Birchall has been entertaining residents and encouraging athletes in equal measure. As the co-founder of the Queen City Caring Clowns, she has lifted the spirits of residents in long-term care homes and the Regina Cancer Lodge; as a coach with Special Olympics Estevan, she had helped many athletes accomplish their goals.

Tony Birchall, Regina, Saskatchewan As the co-founder of the Queen City Caring Clowns and a member of Wa Wa Klown since 2002, Tony Birchall has brought laughter to the residents of Regina care homes. In the late 90s, he also served as a coach with Special Olympics Estevan, where he helped many athletes achieve their goals.

Sabrina Cataldo, Regina, Saskatchewan For more than a decade, Sabrina Cataldo has been using her talents in communications to support the efforts of Regina Cat Rescue and Carmichael Outreach. She has also enhanced the vibrancy of the local arts scene as a volunteer with the Regina Lyric Musical Theatre.

Louis Christ, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Over the past two decades, Louis Christ has served as an executive member of numerous organizations, including the Canadian Corps of Commissionaires (North Saskatchewan division) and the North Saskatoon Business Association. Since 2006, he has been employing his photographic talents in support of two local junior football teams and other members of the community.

Sally Cooke Venne, La Ronge, Saskatchewan Since founding the Sucker River Cross-Country Ski and Canoe Program in 2007, Sally Cooke Venne has been providing the youth of the Lac La Ronge Indian Band with high-level crosscountry ski training and racing opportunities. She has fostered resiliency and self-confidence among the community’s youth and has helped them achieve their goals.

Mary Lynne Golphy, Davidson, Saskatchewan For more than 30 years, Mary Lynne Golphy has been volunteering with Girl Guides of Canada in various roles, such as guider, district and division commissioner, division treasurer, and product marketing advisor. The local Trefoil 36

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Guild, of which she is currently president, provides gifts and care packages for elderly citizens and the homeless, and also hosts bingo games at the seniors’ residence in Saskatoon.

Susan Graham, Regina, Saskatchewan For nearly two decades, Susan Graham has been bringing live entertainment to local residents as a board member of the Regina Lyric Musical Theatre. She has helped the theatre reach its fundraising goals, and ensured its productions and performances ran smoothly while she continued to donate her time to other organizations in the community.

Russell Hart, Regina, Saskatchewan For more than three decades, Russell Hart has served as a board member of the Phoenix Residential Society, providing oversight to this community-based health care and rehabilitation organization. Thanks to his efforts, the organization has expanded its capacity to offer a safe and supportive environment to people with disabilities.

Dave Hedlund, Regina, Saskatchewan For more than two decades, Dave Hedlund has been contributing to Regina’s music scene through his work with the Regina Symphony Orchestra (RSO) and the South Saskatchewan Youth Orchestra. Most recently, he conducted historical research that will help preserve the legacy of the RSO for future generations.

Brad Hrycyna, Regina, Saskatchewan Since 2007, Brad Hrycyna has been devoting his time to commemorating and supporting veterans in his community.

He organizes celebrations and exhibitions through the Royal United Services Institute of Regina to ensure veterans’ service is remembered, and helped raise over $20,000 for the Royal Canadian Legion Poppy Fund.

D. Michael Jackson, Regina, Saskatchewan Since 2005, D. Michael Jackson has been a committed board member of the Institute for the Study of the Crown in Canada at Massey College. Serving as president since 2018, he has organized several conferences to provide interested Canadians with information on the Crown, the monarchy and the Commonwealth in a Canadian context.

Hilary Johnstone, La Ronge, Saskatchewan For close to three decades, Hilary Johnstone has been committed to ensuring the success of cross-country ski athletes in her community of La Ronge. Her efforts have contributed to the success of racing teams and, in her role as a coach, she has provided high-level training to athletes of all ages and abilities.

Bill Kalmakoff, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan For more than two decades, Bill Kalmakoff has served as a community representative at province-wide culture meetings of the Saskatoon Doukhobor Society and the Doukhobor Cultural foundationmag.ca

VOLUNTEER REPORT Society of Saskatchewan. He has promoted public awareness of and fostered a greater appreciation for the contributions of Canadian Doukhobors.

Krishan Kapila, Regina, Saskatchewan Since 2011, Krishan Kapila has been bringing members of his community together through the Hindu Samaj Society of Southern Saskatchewan and the Saskatchewan Youth Visual Art Project. In 2017, he initiated a video project that saw 86 youth join forces to create a 45-minute video about their hopes and dreams for Canada.

W. Douglas Keam, Regina, Saskatchewan For more than three decades, W. Douglas Keam has been dedicating his time to various community organizations that benefit the citizens of Regina and Saskatchewan as a whole.

Since 1993, he has worked with Access Communications Cooperative to keep its weekly fundraising bingo game running, in support of children across Saskatchewan.

Sandra Kerr, Saltcoats, Saskatchewan Sandra Kerr has been actively preserving the heritage of Saltcoats since 1985. Her involvement in program planning, exhibitions and fundraising, in addition to her work on various committees with the Saltcoats Museum, has ensured that the history of the region is maintained for future generations.

Carol LaFayette-Boyd, Regina, Saskatchewan For 15 years, Carol LaFayette-Boyd has been celebrating, researching and preserving the history, heritage and contributions of people of African ancestry through the Saskatchewan African Canadian Heritage Museum. Her efforts have helped strengthen the role of the museum in the community, and have fostered understanding and inclusivity throughout Regina.

Doug Moen, Regina, Saskatchewan For more than three decades, Doug Moen has served on the board of the Phoenix Residential Society and helped to provide care and psychosocial rehabilitation services to those in need.

He has provided overall strategic direction and fiscal oversight, and helped to expand the organization’s capacity for care by aiding in the development of five additional programs serving people with disabilities.

Sid Robinson, La Ronge, Saskatchewan For two decades, Sid Robinson has been organizing cross-country ski events and clearing trails for the La Ronge Ski Club. He helps maintain the Club’s 50 kilometres of well-groomed trails to guarantee a successful season and, as the organizer of the annual Saskatchewan Cup, he coordinates the successful participation of 75 ski racers and 300 school students in the event.

Jeff Sawatsky, Regina, Saskatchewan For more than a decade, Jeff Sawatsky has been contributing foundationmag.ca

his financial expertise in business management as a board member of the Regina Lyric Musical Theatre. By keeping the organization’s finances in order and assisting with fundraising, he has been instrumental in the theatre’s ongoing success.

Neil Sawatzky, Regina, Saskatchewan Over the past decade, Neil Sawatzky has been bringing celebrations, fundraisers, arts events and festivals to his local communities. He has helped raise over $176,000 for local charities as a member of the Royal Road Race organizing committee, while his efforts as a board member of RuBarb Productions has brought live theatre to the residents of Moose Jaw. Darlene Stakiw, Yorkton, Saskatchewan For five decades, Darlene Stakiw has been contributing to culture, health and recreation initiatives in her community through several local and provincial organizations, including the Yorkton Mental Health Drop-in Centre, and the Multicultural Council of Saskatchewan. Her contributions enhanced recreational programming, provided safe health care to those suffering from mental illness, and promoted multiculturalism.

Derrick Thue, Regina, Saskatchewan Derrick Thue has been an active board member with the Phoenix Residential Society for 30 years, serving as chair of the board, as well as chair of both the governance and audit and finance committees. He has helped the organization expand its capacity for care by developing five new programs for people with disabilities.

Reginald Tweten, Regina, Saskatchewan Reginald Tweten has been volunteering with the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 001 for 30 years. In addition to participating in the annual Poppy Campaign, he has devoted himself to educating youth on the meaning of Remembrance Day by visiting classrooms and organizing services for students at the Regina Armoury over the past nine years.

Janet Wilson, Regina, Saskatchewan Since 2003, Janet Wilson has been helping to bring live theatre to her community through her efforts with the Regina Lyric Musical Theatre. As president, she has helped ensure the organization’s ongoing financial and operational success, and has contributed her talents to productions by serving backstage in numerous capacities.

Ron Blechinger, Regina, Saskatchewan For more than three decades, Ron Blechinger has maintained several local cross-country ski trails through the Regina Ski Club, ensuring skiers and outdoor enthusiasts from all walks of life can enjoy the snow all winter long. Since 2008, he has also been promoting the arts as a board member of the Regina Lyric Musical Theatre.

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VOLUNTEER REPORT

MANITOBA

local organizations, including the Royal Canadian Legion and The Pas Health Complex Auxiliary. With tremendous generosity, she helps organize activities such as fundraisers to support those in need and keep community spirit alive.

James Linscott Blake, The Pas, Manitoba For more than 50 years, James Linscott Blake has demonstrated his commitment to his community through his lengthy involvement with the Royal Canadian Legion and with the Citizens on Patrol Program, since 1993. His efforts have facilitated the promotion of Remembrance in his community and have made his town a safer place in which to live.

Dianne Ruth Campbell, The Pas, Manitoba For the past 26 years, Dianne Ruth Campbell has been supporting veterans and people in need in her community while promoting remembrance through her involvement with the Royal Canadian Legion Ladies Auxiliary and Cancer Care Manitoba. Her work with St. Paul’s Personal Care Home is also improving the lives of seniors and helping to break their isolation.

Paulette Lenore Aamot, The Pas, Manitoba For three decades, Paulette Lenore Aamot has been contributing to the well-being of her community through her involvement with various events, including the Northern Manitoba Trappers’ Festival, where she organized numerous winter activities to rekindle a sense of belonging. She also participates in neighbourhood patrols with The Pas Citizens on Patrol, helping to ensure the safety of her fellow citizens.

Doreen June Ander, The Pas, Manitoba For more than 45 years, Doreen June Ander has been a volunteer with the Royal Canadian Legion Branch #19 The Pas Ladies Auxiliary, where she has served on a number of committees, as well as in the roles of president and treasurer.

Her efforts have supported numerous events and fundraisers, and helped strengthen the community.

Sandra Margaret Bartlett, The Pas, Manitoba For the past 26 years, Sandra Margaret Bartlett has devoted herself to helping those in need in her community and to strengthening community solidarity through her involvement with the Royal Canadian Legion Ladies Auxiliary. Her efforts to organize fundraisers and numerous other activities have generated resources to support groups in the region.

Theresa Marie Bastien, The Pas, Manitoba For over 40 years, Theresa Marie Bastien has played a key role in her community, dedicating her time and energy to numerous 38

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Sharon Campbell, The Pas, Manitoba Over the past 17 years, Sharon Campbell has supported veterans and seniors in her community through her involvement with the Royal Canadian Legion Ladies Auxiliary and St. Paul’s Personal Care Home. Her efforts in organizing multiple activities help to promote remembrance, support various groups in her community and prevent solitude among seniors.

Elena Catalano, The Pas, Manitoba For the past 42 years, Elena Catalano has been contributing to the well-being of veterans in her community and their families.

She helps organize funerals and fundraisers to support social activities for Royal Canadian Legion Branch 19, and cared for seniors living at St. Paul’s Personal Care Home.

Geraldine Patricia Cloutier, The Pas, Manitoba For the past 62 years, Geraldine Patricia Cloutier has been dedicated to the well-being of the people in her community through her involvement with the Royal Canadian Legion Ladies Auxiliary and the Catholic Women’s League. Her commitment has helped foster a sense of community in the region and helped veterans, particularly those who are ill.

Linda Maxine Conley, The Pas, Manitoba For over 30 years, Linda Maxine Conley has played an important role in the volunteer activities in her community through her involvement with the Royal Canadian Legion Ladies Auxiliary.

Her determination not only helps people in need across the region, but also brings her fellow citizens together around causes that strengthen community spirit.

Jennifer Paige Cook, The Pas, Manitoba For more than 25 years, Jennifer Paige Cook has been foundationmag.ca

VOLUNTEER REPORT instrumental in maintaining the vitality of her community through the Midwest Karate Club and a variety of local events such as fundraisers and the Northern Manitoba Trappers' Festival. As a result, youth sports have become more accessible, and the region’s residents and visitors have benefited from more vibrant public spaces.

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Yvonne Kyle, Winnipeg, Manitoba For more than four decades, Yvonne Kyle has been volunteering with Scouts Canada as a Scouter in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Ontario. With the 60th Winnipeg Scout Group, she has been welcoming members with different abilities, ensuring that every Scout feels comfortable and supported.

Deborah Auchinleck, Petawawa, Ontario Deborah Auchinleck has been promoting martial arts with the Goju Karate Club at Canadian Forces Base Petawawa since 1994.

As vice-president, treasurer, instructor and administrator, she helps civilians and military members of all ages gain selfconfidence and self-awareness in a positive environment, and ensures the venue and classes are accessible to everyone.

Donald Steve Maksymchuk, The Pas, Manitoba For close to 40 years, Donald Steve Maksymchuk has been lending a hand in his community and ensuring its safety through his work with the Knights of Columbus and the Citizens on Patrol Program. His endeavors have supported a variety of local and international charitable projects and have helped make neighbourhoods safer.

Rémi Beaudin, Ottawa, Ontario Over the past two decades, Rémi Beaudin has been a coach, assistant director, and director of equipment and facilities with the Gloucester Dragons Recreational Soccer Club. In these various positions, he has contributed to the healthy development of youth aged 4 to 18 by instilling in them the athletic techniques and discipline that the sport requires.

Bonnie Lynne Meadows, The Pas, Manitoba For more than 32 years, Bonnie Lynne Meadows has been devoting her time and resources to rescue as many stray and abandoned dogs as she can. She has helped save the lives of countless unwanted dogs in the region and throughout the province by relocating them to caring foster homes across Canada.

Annette Bergeron, Napanee, Ontario Over the past 10 years, Annette Bergeron has volunteered on the executive boards of national and provincial engineering organizations. She also chaired several committees for the Kingston General Hospital, including the community outreach committee, and the research and education committee.

Annette Niven, The Pas, Manitoba Since 1977, Annette Niven has been volunteering in her community, notably with the Royal Canadian Legion Branch #19 The Pas Ladies Auxiliary, and the Social Services Appeal Board of Manitoba. As an active committee member and former president of the Legion, she has helped strengthen local services for veterans.

Wilma Bianco, Ottawa, Ontario Since 2010, Wilma Bianco has been supporting the Italian Night Dinner fundraiser, which has raised $500,000 for the Kidney Foundation of Canada and which supports the Kidney Research Centre at The Ottawa Hospital. Co-chair of the annual event since 2015, she has helped ensure its long-lasting success and, in turn, improved research opportunities and patient care for people with kidney disease.

Bernice Anna Jane Smith, The Pas, Manitoba For five decades, Bernice Anna Jane Smith has been volunteering with the Royal Canadian Legion Branch #19 The Pas Ladies Auxiliary. Over these many years, she has served on several committees, has provided support to those struggling through hard times, and has helped create a sense of community through the organization and administration of Legion events.

Debra Lee Smith, The Pas, Manitoba Since 1971, Debra Lee Smith has been volunteering with the Royal Canadian Legion Branch #19 The Pas Ladies Auxiliary, serving on several committees and organizing events as a member of the colour party. Her efforts have provided companionship to isolated community members and have ensured vulnerable members feel supported by the community during difficult times.

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Virginia Bidwell, Markham, Ontario For more than 60 years, Virginia Bidwell has volunteered with Girl Guides of Canada, and currently serves as a unit guider for girls between the ages of 15 and 17. As an administrative community leader for several years, she was responsible for mentoring adult volunteers and organizing training sessions.

Jill Bobula, Ottawa, Ontario For the past 12 years Jill Bobula, has been giving her time to raising awareness about Tourette Syndrome in her community.

Through her involvement with Tourette Ottawa, she provides training sessions to professionals and to family members of people with Tourette Syndrome while working with her local chapter members to develop promotional posters to mobilize her community around the cause.

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VOLUNTEER REPORT Cathy Bonnell, Ottawa, Ontario Cathy Bonnell has been a member of the Presbyterian Spiritual Care team at The Ottawa Hospital since 1989. In this role, she provides active listening services and assists patients in finding hope, peace and strength through their faith, despite their circumstances.

Denise Cadieux, Orleans, Ontario Since 1989, Denise Cadieux has been a volunteer at the Breast Health Centre, a member of The Ottawa Hospital Civic Auxiliary and, most recently, a clerical aid at the Stroke Prevention Clinic. From greeting patients with a friendly face and useful information, to guiding them through their appointments, she has helped put patients and their families at ease.

Robert Carr, Ottawa, Ontario Since 1994, Robert Carr has been volunteering with various initiatives at The Ottawa Hospital, from serving as a member of the Volunteer Resources Team to acting as an accountant with the Les Amis fundraising program. He also helped launch the Info Guide program at the General Campus where he helps patients feel welcome and makes getting to appointments easier.

Shannon Carson, Toronto, Ontario For more than 10 years, Shannon Carson has been contributing to the Ontario Council of Girl Guides of Canada, serving as a unit guider for various age groups, and assisting with training and mentorship of adult members. She also advises the national board of directors on financial management as part of the Audit and Finance Committee.

Jane Christie, Ottawa, Ontario Since 1983, whenever patients have been unable to access The Ottawa Hospital Civic Auxiliary’s main shop, Jane Christie has brought the shop by cart to them—along with some friendly conversation to stave off feelings of isolation. As part of the Civic Auxiliary volunteer team, she also helped raise over $1 million for the hospital in 2019.

Barry Cornish, Orillia, Ontario For the past 10 years, Barry Cornish has been ensuring the wellbeing of veterans and their families through his involvement with the Royal Canadian Legion, notably by spearheading fundraisers to ensure that they have access to the services they need and accompanying them to their medical appointments.

He also helps youth by supporting his city’s junior hockey team through various fundraising activities.

Philippe Dugas, Ottawa, Ontario For 10 years, Philippe Dugas worked tirelessly as a member and president of the Atelier d’histoire de la Longue-Pointe. His many accomplishments have not only helped to educate people about the rich past of Montréal’s Mercier borough, but have also helped to document and preserve its history and heritage.

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Diya Duggal, Sarnia, Ontario Since 2016, Diya Duggal has been involved in several initiatives in her hometown of Sarnia, such as collecting hair from local salons for donation to organizations which that provide wigs to sick children, and collecting essential items for Women’s Interval Home. With her sister and their friends, she has helped raise thousands of dollars to support various charities through their local chapter of Because I am a Girl.

Raveena Duggal, Sarnia, Ontario In 2016, along with her sister and their friends, Raveena Duggal helped launch Girls Giving Back, a local chapter of Because I am a Girl, which has raised over $20,000 for various initiatives. She has donated the proceeds from her own handmade cosmetics to support the Sarnia Women’s Interval Home and the Better at Home seniors program, and has organized successful fundraisers for the Canadian Cancer Society.

Ernest Ferne, Ottawa, Ontario In 1997, in partnership with his family members, Ernest Ferne created the Karen Taylor Golf Tournament, which funds a bursary for nursing education at The Ottawa Hospital. He is also an active volunteer with the Cure Diabetes Golf Tournament, and is a community leader in support of stem cell research and diabetes at The Ottawa Hospital.

Jill Ferne, Ottawa, Ontario Since 1992, Jill Ferne has been actively involved in Harvest House, as a teacher in its education development program and as the host of its annual fundraising Christmas dinner. In 1997, in partnership with her family members, she created the Karen Taylor Golf Tournament, which has raised over $500,000 in support of nursing and education at The Ottawa Hospital.

Mario Frangione, Ottawa, Ontario Since 1984, Mario Frangione has been a founding member, co-chair and honorary chair of the Italian Night Dinner, a fundraising initiative that raises over $50,000 a year in support of kidney research. In partnership with the Kidney Foundation of Ottawa, he also helped create a bursary to enhance services for kidney patients in the Ottawa region.

Maureen Gibson, Ottawa, Ontario Maureen Gibson has been volunteering with The Ottawa Hospital since 1996, doing everything from greeting patients and offering refreshments, to calling with appointment reminders from the Women’s Health Centre and acting as a communication link between patients and their families following operations at the Eye Care Centre. She has also raised funds for patient care initiatives as a member of the special events team at the Riverside Auxiliary.

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VOLUNTEER REPORT Isabel Gillissie, Ottawa, Ontario Since 1982, Isabel Gillissie has been volunteering with The Ottawa Hospital in a variety of roles, from counter staff in the coffee shop to executive member of the Auxiliary board.

She also dedicates her time to helping the special events team with fundraising events like bazaars, bake sales and book sales, from which all proceeds go to patient care programs.

Beverly Gordon, Toronto, Ontario Over the past 55 years, Beverly Gordon has been a valuable member of Girl Guides of Canada, notably serving as the National Trefoil Guild advisor to the National Council. Thanks to her efforts, the Trefoil Guilds help other guiding units with their community projects, advise leaders on new activities and support local women’s shelters.

Kevin Lynn Graham, Ottawa, Ontario Kevin Lynn Graham has been a coach and mentor to adolescent hockey players in the Ottawa region for more than 10 years.

He has helped create a safe, positive and respectful learning environment that has strengthened youth confidence and leadership through organized sports.

Mona Hardy, Thunder Bay, Ontario For a decade, Mona Hardy has been working to ensure the comfort of marginalized community members with the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre and the NorWest Community Health Centre. She has helped members of the LGBTQ2+ and transgender communities access safe health care and support services, and has fostered greater independence among dialysis patients self-managing their lives.

Shelby Hayter, Ottawa, Ontario A strong proponent in the fight against Parkinson’s disease, Shelby Hayter joined the board of the Parkinson Research Consortium in 2006, and the board of Partners Investing in Parkinson’s Research in 2009. She also created the Pass the Baton program in 2006, to educate children on the effects of Parkinson’s disease as well as inspire them to create their own fundraising activities.

Brian W. Karam, Ottawa, Ontario A community volunteer since 1975, Brian Karam has served the Dewaan Foundation since 1988 in various roles, including vicepresident, president and member of both the charity committee and the scholarship and education committee. His coordination of a semi-annual fundraising dinner have benefited multiple local organizations including The Ottawa Hospital.

Lyn Lunsted, Dundas, Ontario Lyn Lunsted has been volunteering with Girl Guides of Canada for nearly 30 years, and played a key role in introducing the Unified Banking financial platform to guiding units across the country. As chair of the Ontario Unit finance specialty committee, she leads a team of volunteers who support and foundationmag.ca

train unit treasurers in Ontario and Nunavut to reduce the administrative burden on unit guiders.

Randall Marusyk, Ottawa, Ontario Since 2008, Randall Marusyk has been serving on the board of directors of The Ottawa Hospital Research Institute. In addition to being an active member of the board, he also serves on multiple committees within the Institute, including The Ottawa Hospital Gala committee, where his fundraising efforts benefit research and patient care.

Sunita Mathur, Toronto, Ontario For more than two decades, Sunita Mathur has devoted her time to Girl Guides of Canada by serving in a number of roles at the local, provincial and national levels, including the Board Diversity Task Group and as chair of the council of provincial commissioners. She currently serves on the national governance committee.

Daniel Matthews, Whitby, Ontario For more than 20 years, Daniel Matthews has been serving in various executive positions with the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 112, where his efforts have contributed to the success of fundraising events and Poppy campaigns. At the same time, he has been serving on the executive of the Army Cadet League of Canada, as past-president (Ontario) and as vice-president of membership (national).

Sandi McCrory, Waterloo, Ontario In 2011, Sandi McCrory helped launch the local Soup Sisters chapter in the Kitchener Waterloo region and, for nearly a decade, has been sharing the duties of bookings coordinator.

Prior to volunteering with Soup Sisters, she was actively involved in Out of the Cold, which provides warm meals to the homeless.

Raymond Charles McGill, Courtice, Ontario Since 1972, Raymond Charles McGill has been helping vulnerable members of his community through the Royal Canadian Legion Omemee Branch 497, and as head instructor of McGill’s House of Karate. He has advocated on behalf of veterans to reduce their isolation, and has promoted selfconfidence, diversity and intergenerational learning through his karate lessons.

Michael McKay, Guelph, Ontario Since 1982, Michael McKay has been serving on the executive of multiple community organizations including the Royal Canadian Artillery Association and the John McCrae Statue Project Planning Committee, the efforts of which resulted in the erection of statues in both Ottawa and Guelph. He has also been a member of the Canadian Corps of Commissionaires Hamilton since 2010, and is its current director.

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VOLUNTEER REPORT Ronald Francis McKay, Barrie, Ontario For the past 15 years, Ronald Francis McKay has been creating a positive atmosphere in his community through his involvement with the Simcoe County Band, which he co founded. The band performs at various festivals and entertains at nursing homes in Simcoe County.

Donald McKinnon, Ottawa, Ontario Since 1993, Donald McKinnon has been working closely with clerks in the Intensive Care Unit at The Ottawa Hospital to facilitate family visits with their loved ones. He also provides active listening services, on-site directions and helpful information to visitors. His efforts have helped thousands of families connect with their loved ones in hospital.

Donna Needham, Nepean, Ontario As a volunteer with the Intensive Care Unit of The Ottawa Hospital since 2002, Donna Needham facilitates family visits, and provides active listening support and useful information to families. As a leading board member of the Civic Auxiliary, she has helped raise millions of dollars to purchase crucial medical equipment that has benefited thousands of patients.

Janette Newcombe, London, Ontario For nearly half a century, Janette Newcombe has been dedicating her time and efforts to the Ontario Council of the Girl Guides of Canada, serving as administrative community leader for London. She has played a key role in creating, organizing and delivering training modules for local unit guiders, and also organizes events in the community such as regional meetings and awards ceremonies.

Primrose Paruboczy, Ottawa, Ontario As a member of the Anglican Spiritual Care team at The Ottawa Hospital since 1989, Primrose Paruboczy has been providing spiritual guidance to patients during their hospital stay.

Through her efforts, patients have found the strength and hope needed to deal with their circumstances and a means through which they can feel at peace.

Richard Percy, Orillia, Ontario For more than a decade, Richard Percy has been volunteering with the Royal Canadian Legion #34 Orillia and #385 Aurora, attending events and celebrations of life, serving as a member of the colour party and on the sick and visiting committee.

His commitments have raised the profile of the Legion in the community and have ensured members feel supported during difficult times.

Vicki Plouffe, Kanata, Ontario Since 1985, Vicki Plouffe has been providing kind and attentive service at all three shops operated by The Ottawa Hospital Civic Auxiliary — from helping in the flower shop to finding the perfect gift or essential item to make for a more comfortable hospital 42

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stay. With the Auxiliary shop volunteer team, she helped raise over $1,000,000 for hospital medical equipment in 2019.

Dana Said, Oakville, Ontario Over the past decade, Dana Said has worked to engage high school graduates in, and rally community support for, a variety of integration programs to help them tailor their studies to their abilities. She also shares her musical and multicultural knowledge through exchange and leadership programs between the Oakville Chamber Orchestra, YMCA of Oakville and Pine Grove Public School.

John Stuart, Greely, Ontario Over the last decade, John Stuart has advocated for the wellbeing of veterans through his involvement with the NATO Veterans Organization of Canada. He has helped veterans to access services through his activities with the Royal Canadian Legion and spent many years involved in youth development as a Scout leader on various Canadian military bases.

Louise Sullivan, Ottawa, Ontario For more than three decades, Louise Sullivan has been a dedicated and compassionate volunteer with the emergency department at The Ottawa Hospital’s General Campus.

Known as a self-motivated and a talented mediator, she is also recognized as an advocate for her team and for her ability to resolve issues within the ER. Kyle Taylor, Petawawa, Ontario Since 1981, Kyle Taylor has been teaching martial arts to members of both the military and civilian communities through several Goju Karate clubs of the Canada Goju Karate Association. As president, chief instructor and administrator of the Goju Karate Club at Canadian Forces Base Petawawa, he has created an inclusive environment to foster physical and mental well-being, and reinforce healthy life habits.

Janet Uffelman, Waterloo,Ontario In 2011, Janet Uffelman helped establish the Kitchener Waterloo Soup Sisters chapter and continues to serve as a bookings coordinator, in addition to helping with monthly soup-making workshops. Since 2009, she has also volunteered with Grandmothers to Grandmothers, which helps women who are raising grandchildren orphaned by AIDS. Peggy Vink, Russell, Ontario Since 1996, Peggy Vink has been serving Girl Guides of Canada as a volunteer photographer, graphic designer and unit guider. As the newspaper editor and communications volunteer for LEAP 2019 (the first-ever Girl Guide camp sponsored by the Ontario and Nunavut councils), she helped girls find their authentic voices by reporting, writing and publishing their own stories.

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VOLUNTEER REPORT Samara Visram, Toronto, Ontario As founder of the Catholic Archdiocese of Mombasa Schools, Samara Visram has been helping the village of Kikambala, Kenya build a sustainable and accessible secondary school since 2013. She secured a donation of land from the local church and worked with the community to design the school which, when completed, will provide village youth with the opportunity to pursue an education.

Norma Weiner, Waterloo, Ontario Over the past decade, through Soup Sisters Kitchener/ Waterloo, Norma Weiner has been providing healthy and hearty soups to those in need, particularly clients of Reaching Our Outdoor Friends and the Women’s Crisis Service. As volunteer coordinator, she recruits and trains new volunteers, and ensures they are available to attend soup-making workshops.

Orest J. Wilura, Kitchener, Ontario Since 1981, Orest J. Wilura has been tirelessly volunteering with the Lions Club, making a difference in communities throughout southwestern Ontario and across Canada. His dedication to youth and the needs of children has not only changed many lives for the better but has also helped shape young leaders who will follow in his steps and continue his remarkable legacy.

Joanne Zuk, Windsor, Ontario Since 2007, Joanne Zuk has been helping members of vulnerable communities file their taxes through the Community Volunteer Income Tax Program at Family Services Windsor-Essex. She assists clients with forms for child tax benefits and rebates, and does everything she can to ensure they receive their benefits, sometimes filing several years’ worth of returns at once.

QUEBEC Dominique Bellemare, Beauharnois, Quebec For over 30 years, Dominique Bellemare has served in executive positions with World Animal Protection International and World Animal Protection Canada, providing them with leadership and pro bono counsel. His efforts have ensured that both organizations benefit from best practices in modern governance.

Blanche Côte, Carleton, Quebec For the past 28 years, Blanche Côte has been helping residents with diminished cognitive and physical autonomy at the Centre d’hébergement et de soins de longue durée de Maria, contributing to their well-being and to the ongoing improvement of their living environment. To help break their isolation, she gives special attention to the residents, notably by celebrating their birthdays and helping to organize the Christmas party. foundationmag.ca

Maria D’Iorio, Montreal, Quebec For over 50 years, Maria D’Iorio has been a community builder, offering decorating services and coordinating fundraising events for her parish, San Domenico Savio. She also helps people with a terminal illness to receive care by organizing fundraisers for the Palliative Home-Care Society Foundation.

Robert Groulx, Sherbrooke, Quebec For over 50 years, Robert Groulx contributed to the well-being of veterans in his community with the Royal Canadian Legion and the Army, Navy and Air Force Veterans in Canada. He organized activities such as hospital visits and community gatherings to break the isolation of this vulnerable segment of society, and supported grieving families.

Lise Hodgson Madore, Rivière-du-Loup, Quebec Since 1995, Lise Hodgson Madore has been supporting her community through the Association des bénévoles du Centre hospitalier régional du Grand-Portage and her parish. Through her volunteer activities, she ensures the comfort and well-being of hospital patients and their families and helps to maintain the vitality of religion in the region.

Gilles Landry, Quebec, Quebec For the past 33 years, Gilles Landry has been contributing to the well-being of veterans through the Maison Paul-Triquet. He facilitates residents’ access to appropriate care and breaks their isolation by accompanying them to medical appointments or other activities. As a member of the Royal Canadian Legion, he also guides the families of deceased veterans in making funeral arrangements.

Jean-Michel Longpré, Sherbrooke, Quebec For the past 29 years, Jean-Michel Longpré has been helping to preserve the old Sherbrooke prison. He diligently oversees the finances and management of this historic heritage building, which generates cultural activities and economic spin-offs for the Eastern Townships.

Roger Mainville, Montmagny, Quebec For four decades, Roger Mainville has been contributing to the well-being of his community through the Club Richelieu Montmagny, organizing fundraisers to support organizations that help youth and families in the Chaudière-Appalaches region. He also advocates for people with intellectual disabilities through his services with the Maison de secours La Frontière and the Fondation du Foyer de l’enfance de la Côte-du-Sud. Joanne Millette, Rosemere, Quebec Since 1976, Joanne Millette has been chairing the Girl Guides of Canada property committee, which oversees the management of various Girl Guide campgrounds. She has also served as provincial commissioner of the Quebec council, in addition to volunteering as a unit guider.

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VOLUNTEER REPORT Steve Nadeau, East Angus, Quebec For the past 12 years, Steve Nadeau has been supporting the well-being of veterans in his community and helping to reduce the suicide rate caused by isolation among this segment of the population. Through his involvement with Veterans UN NATO Canada, he organizes various social activities, including weekly get-togethers for veterans and their families.

Cécile Nicole, Montmagny, Quebec For the past 19 years, Cécile Nicole has been dedicated to helping seniors in her community. At the Centre d’action bénévole des MRC de Montmagny et de L’Islet, she helps clients access professional health care and instills in them a sense of safety and trust.

Solange Thériault, Rivière-du-Loup, Quebec For the past 25 years, Solange Thériault has been helping to improve the quality of life of users of the Centre hospitalier régional du Grand-Portage, which she co-founded. She supports patients by organizing recreational activities to combat their isolation and enrich their well-being.

Susan Welsh, Pointe-Claire, Quebec An active member of Girl Guides of Canada for more than 20 years, Susan Welsh has been contributing to various teams and committees, such as the fund development team, the grow guiding team and the property committee. She has served as director of council operations for the Quebec Council, and helped mentor and train new volunteers.

NEW BRUNSWICK Elizabeth Campbell, Sussex, New Brunswick For over a decade, Elizabeth Campbell has given her time to the New Brunswick Council of Girl Guides of Canada.

Currently serving as provincial commissioner as well as a unit guider for Sparks and Pathfinders, she has contributed to increased retention and enrolment rates, and has worked with committees overseeing finance and membership.

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involved in many camps at the district, area and provincial levels, and has encouraged girls to explore the outdoors and try new things.

Judy Gallant, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island Judy Gallant has been a softball coach with Special Olympics Prince Edward Island since 2005, helping young people achieve their goals both on and off the field. Thanks to her efforts, the team was able to attend the Special Olympics National Games in 2006, 2010, 2014 and 2018, as well as the 2011 Special Olympics World Summer Games in Athens in 2011.

NOVA SCOTIA Jennie MacKenzie, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia An active volunteer in her community for more than forty years, Jennie MacKenzie has helped support the local Food Bank, sporting events for youth, and various service organizations.

Most significantly her leadership of youth through the Nova Scotia Girl Guides of Canada has helped girls of all ages to discover and develop their own potential.

Joy Saunders, Lunenburg, Nova Scotia Centenarian Joy Saunders has devoted more than 30 years to the Victorian Order of Nurses in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, as a volunteer in its foot care clinic, where she helped ensure her community received timely and compassionate care. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she walked 102 kilometres before her 102nd birthday, raising more than $79,000 for VON to honour the lives of two VON front-line caregivers.

Travis Young, Sydney, Nova Scotia For 17 years, Travis Young dedicated himself to enriching the lives of people in his community. Through his involvement with the Local Service District of Sheaves Cove, he helped to rehabilitate the community centre and to expand and maintain the municipal cemetery, where he also served as a liaison with the local parish for 14 years.

Brian MacLellan, Bedford, Nova Scotia For the past 27 years, Brian MacLellan has supported youth in his community as a mentor with 342 Bedford Lions Royal Canadian Air Cadets Squadron. He trains them as part of various programs that instill in them leadership skills and good citizenship values.

Carolyn Cockram, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island Carolyn Cockram joined Girl Guides of Canada in 2007, and became a Girls First champion when the new girl-focused and girl-led program was introduced in 2018. She has also been 44

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VOLUNTEER REPORT

NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR George Clements, Bonavista, Newfoundland and Labrador For more than 30 years, George Clements’ volunteer efforts have had positive, lasting impacts on the community of Bonavista. From the creation of a new hospital to a successful celebration of the 500th anniversary of the arrival of John Cabot, his contributions have helped improve the well-being and cultural vibrancy of the region.

Perry Dalton, Saint John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador For the past 18 years, Perry Dalton has contributed to the development of young athletes in his community through the Mount Pearl-Paradise Skating Club. He ensures that competitions run smoothly by maintaining the arena rink, organizing fundraising events for the Club, ensuring the accessibility of the organization’s website and providing customer service.

William Charles Ford, Carbonear, Newfoundland and Labrador For more than 30 years, William Charles Ford has been sharing his expertise in aircraft restoration and artefact acquisition with several military museums. As the volunteer exhibition and acquisitions manager of the New Brunswick Aviation Museum, he has conducted thorough research and donated artefacts to create more accurate and plentiful aviation displays.

Judy Shannahan, Goulds, Newfoundland and Labrador Judy Shannahan has been with Girl Guides of Canada since 1981, and has served as provincial commissioner and provincial special events lead. She has planned some of the most well-attended guiding events in Newfoundland and Labrador, notably the province’s celebrations to mark the 100th Anniversary of Guiding in Canada, all while visiting more than 100 units throughout the province.

FLORIDA, USA Shelly Ullery, Ocala, Florida (USA) For two decades, Shelly Ullery contributed her time and energy to help people in St. Albert and Edmonton better understand the justice system and police services. She helped officers work on their mental health, educated youth about the police service and training opportunities, and senior citizens about fraud, and increased community engagement in crime prevention. foundationmag.ca

Power Up Your Social Strategy Results Cause Related Marketing can help you Increase sales and market share, strengthen brand positioning, enhance corporate image and clout, increase your ability to attract, motivate and retain employees and decrease operating costs.

Nonprofit organizations can see such benefits as increased donations; enhanced visibility of their causes or messages; connections to sponsors and corporations, their network of employees, suppliers, distributors and other contacts; and a wealth of corporate experience, including marketing expertise and strategy development.

A Strategic Approach. Not all nonprofits are ripe for attracting corporate partners. Nonprofits hoping to attract cause related marketing partners should do their homework and practice due diligence.

Why Social Strategy Group? We focus on the mutually beneficial relationship and recommend rights and benefits for both sides. We present the marketing concepts and how the project will be executed and explain required budget and metrics to identify how successful it can be over time.

We focus on the mutually beneficial relationship and recommend rights and benefits for both sides. We present the marketing concepts and how the project will be executed and explain required budget and metrics to identify how successful it can be over time.

Our Team of Cause Related Marketing Strategists will promote your business using an ethical approach benefit both parties. CRM has a wide range of benefits to attract new customers, add value to the brand.

Being ethically and socially responsible will provide the company with brand loyalty with a positive link to the charity of choice. CRM can drastically improve customer loyalty since today’s consumers would rather support and purchase products which support charitable causes.

Laura Tyson, Director of Communications email lauratyson@Socialstrategygroup.com or call 416-670-6688 www.socialstrategygroup.com

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ANALYTICS

Some Serious Thoughts About Giving Tuesday

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BY JENNIFER ROBINS

’m sitting here at my home office in midAugust writing this article, soaking up every last drop of the summer weather, family BBQs and visits to the beach. Even as we enjoy the last few days of this wonderful season, if my inbox is any indication, I know fundraisers everywhere are putting the final touches on their all-important holiday season campaigns. From Thanksgiving to Diwali to Hannukah to Christmas — the last quarter of the year is a time for giving.

In recent years, Giving Tuesday, occurring after the mad rush of Black Friday, has become a prominent and important date in the fundraising calendar. Hashtags of #givingtuesday flood social media channels and more and more donors are participating in this movement — what should organizations be doing to prepare for this now annual event? Recognizing this new tradition, and being the data geek that I am, I wanted to take a deeper look at giving trends on Giving Tuesday and what types of donors are showing up on this very important day.

I’m curious to find out if Giving Tuesday donors are the young digitally savvy Millennials and Gen Zers that are anecdotally expected, or if the results are more nuanced than that.

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Who are these donors?

While it is very interesting to look at web traffic data, especially for other organizations that you aren’t typically privy to, the fundamental question really is — who are these web visitors and how can charities attract them to their own causes on Giving Tuesday?

Leveraging Environics Analytics’ PRIZM lifestyle segmentation system, I was able to look under the hood so to speak and paint a holistic picture of who these online visitors are. Most interestingly, there is a big difference between web visitors in August versus those in December.

August 2020 In August 2020 there are three types of web visitors that are showing up in high proportions, they share some but not all characteristics. The largest group of web visitors is what we’ve called Mid-City Mellow and they are a group of urban retirees

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COURTESY ENVIRONICS ANALYTICS

Web Traffic Leveraging Environics Analytics’ new ClickScapes data, I looked at a week-over-week visitor-perwebsite view of a few different large charitable organizations (see Table 1). What is most fascinating to me is that not all the organizations saw a spike the week of Giving Tuesday. Recognizing that this is primarily a digital movement, it is not surprising to see Canada Helps had a big jump in their web-traffic over that period — an additional 200K visitors came to their website the week of Giving Tuesday (December 6th, 2020) versus in August and September.

But what is surprising is that other organizations, such as

SickKids Foundation or the Ontario SPCA, did not see a spike in their web traffic data. Looking at these trends, my question for all charitable organizations is — do you know your donors well and have a strategy to help you leverage the momentum from the Giving Tuesday movement?

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ANALYTICS

COURTESY ENVIRONICS ANALYTICS

December 2020 As mentioned earlier, web traffic dramatically increases as we move closer and closer to the prime holiday season, and we certainly see a spike for Giving Tuesday; in fact, web traffic increased 123 percent between August and December, roughly 200,000 unique visitors! The big question that comes to mind is, are we seeing the same types of people in December that we saw in August? Here is where things start to get interesting.

In December, the three top PRIZM segments are all urban segments. Two of these groups are quite young, often singles and couples, and we also see one familiar face, Mid-City Mellow.

And if I look at the 4th largest segments, we see a third younger urban segment. All three of these younger segments are digitally-savvy and on many different social media platforms.

And what might surprise some, is that they are also giving substantial gifts when they are donors. Eat, Play, Love gives an average of $1,836 a year, and Downtown Verge gives $1,788. foundationmag.ca

Both values are double that of the Canadian average. This leads me to ask, are these younger web visitors simply jumping on the #GivingTuesday bandwagon? Or is it more complex than that? I think the answer lies somewhere in an organization’s data and whether a constituent who gave on Giving Tuesday continues to engage with the organization again.

COURTESY ENVIRONICS ANALYTICS

enjoying fine dining and many arts and culture activities. This is a group that is donating $995 on average per annum, which is 20 percent above the Canadian average. Family Mode, another PRIZM group is the next largest website visitor, and they are middle-aged families living in suburban neighbourhoods. On average they donate $953 a year, which is 15 percent above the Canadian average. The third largest and last PRIZM group, Country Traditions, is also a very large group in Canada as a whole. They are middle-aged and older couples and families and reside in rural areas across the country. This group donates approximately $806 per annum which is about 3 percent below the Canadian average.

What is most interesting about these three groups is that none of them are what we would call digital enthusiasts. Yes, they are using the internet at average rates, and are using most social media platforms, and yet these are the groups that are showing up the strongest on an ‘average’ month on charitable websites.

Where we do see some overlap is in their core values and motivations. All three groups rank high for Personal Control, National Pride, and Technology Anxiety in addition to Legacy.

Personal Control indicated that these donors believe that the decisions they make can impact the outcome, and partnering that with Technology Anxiety, perhaps they are visiting charitable websites in the summer to avoid the craze of the giving season. Lastly, these are all proud Canadians who are simply looking to leave the world a better place.

Now that we’ve looked under the hood, what are the key takeaways here? The questions that come up for me after sifting through the data are the following: ❯ How can organizations better engage with the visitors from August, so that we continue to see them throughout the holiday season? ❯ How can you start speaking to Giving Tuesday donors earlier, and potentially engage them throughout the year? ❯ What proportion of these web-visitors translate to a donation? ❯ And lastly, what are the plans to steward these Giving Tuesday visitors into long-term loyal donors?

Circling-back to the question I asked at the start, are the visitors we are seeing on Giving Tuesday who everyone expects to see? It looks like the data support those anecdotal hypotheses, with that Mid-City Mellow being the exception to the rule. Millennials and Gen Z are the driving force behind #GivingTuesday JENNIFER ROBINS is Director, Business Development at Environics Analytics. Jennifer helps clients solve their business challenges using the Environics Analytics’ suite of data products and services.

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HISTORIC PLAQUES Historic Plaques Which Honour Philanthropy

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Dr. William T. Grenfell & the International Grenfell Association The Grenfell Plaques Site is situated behind Grenfell House Museum on Tea House Hill, overlooking the Town of St. Anthony. It is the burial site of Dr. Wilfred Grenfell, his wife and four of their medical missionary colleagues, whose cremated remains are entombed in a large boulder to which commemorative bronze plaques are attached. The municipal heritage designation includes the footprint of the boulder, plus one metre of ground from its base.

COURTESY GRENFELL HOUSE

Heritage value The Grenfell Plaques Site has great historic value in connection to Dr. Wilfred T. Grenfell and the International Grenfell Association.

Grenfell, a medical missionary from England, arrived in Northern Newfoundland on behalf of the Royal National Mission to Deep Sea Fishermen in 1892. In 1900 he established a hospital to serve the region at St. Anthony, and eventually moved the headquarters of the philanthropic International Grenfell Association there. These were key developments in the history of the small community and vicinity, not only in terms of enormous progress in health and social services, but pivotal in establishing St. Anthony as a major centre for the Northern Newfoundland-Southern Labrador region.

Grenfell was made a Knight Commander of St. Michael and St. George in 1927, and has been otherwise honoured during his lifetime and posthumously for his philanthropy and legacy.

The Grenfell Plaques Site is located on the rear grounds of Grenfell House, a Registered Heritage Structure which was once the family residence and then a staff house for the International Grenfell Association.

After Dr. Grenfell died in Vermont in 1940, his ashes were returned to St. Anthony and entombed in a boulder at the rear of the property. The ashes of his wife, Anne (MacClanahan) Grenfell, who played a key role in the missionary work, along with four other colleagues (Dr. Samuel Curtis, his wife Harriott Curtis, Dr. Mason Little and Nurse Selma Carlson) are also individually entombed there. Plaques inscribed with their names, dates and epitaphs are attached to the boulder.

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After Grenfell's retirement to Vermont, the house became a residence for mission workers. In 1978, the Grenfell House and surrounding land were turned over to the newly formed Grenfell Historical Society. Up to 1981, extensive restoration was made to the building before opened to the public as a small museum. Further restoration was made to the interior of the Grenfell House Museum between 199596. In 1986, the Grenfell House was designated a Registered Heritage Structure by the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador.

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September/October 2021

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What are the most important books?

Books that help us make our world a better place. Books about charities, volunteers, and the art and science of fundraising.

For over 15 years, Civil Sector Press has published books like these under the inspired leadership of its founder, Jim Hilborn.

I’ve known and respected Jim for three decades. Our always cordial meetings over the last five years have always ended with Jim saying, “David, when are you going to write your book?”

I was hesitant to enter that world. My wife is a best-selling author of over 30 books for kids and I knew, first-hand, how important finding the right publisher and editor was. When he asked the question again in October 2019, it finally occurred to me I was looking at both.

I’m thrilled that Civil Sector Press published my book, Green Green: Reflections on 51 Years of Raising Money for Nature. I was even more delighted when Jim agreed to edit it. He also found me a superlative designer who makes my book sing.

I am proud that my book is now available with other Civil Sector Press gems like Excellence in Fundraising in Canada, The Vigilant Fundraiser, and Prospect Research in Canada.

If you work in the charitable sector, think of making our world an even better place by taking the time to share your wisdom with others. Working with Jim and Civil Sector Press will help you bring your unique message to the world.

Ready to write your book?

Review the Civil Sector Press Author Support Services at: https://hilborn-civilsectorpress.com/pages/author-support-services Then contact CSP’s founder/editor Jim Hilborn to discuss your book.

416.554.9403 | hilbornjim@gmail.com

Learn more about CSP’s Author Support Services

COMMENT

Top Tips for Successful Mobile Fundraising Events

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event. This can make a huge difference when it comes to your fund-a-need appeal and processing final payments.

BY ELLA JACQUES

s we emerge from 16 months of lockdowns and distancing, Givergy’s ambition is to ensure that each and every client sees a seamless and successful return to live events. Part of this means helping fundraisers understand one of the most powerful, yet underused tools at their disposal — smartphone fundraising — including all the benefits it offers over older, tablet-based set-ups.

To learn more about how our smartphone fundraising platform can help take your next event or online campaign to another level, feel free to get in touch and schedule a call with one of our expert fundraising consultants.

In the meantime, here are 9 Top Tips for smartphone fundraising at in-person charity events.

PRE-EVENT Make sure your chosen venue has strong signal/WIFI. For guests to access the fundraising site, your venue needs a strong mobile signal. The Givergy team will send you tools to test the mobile signal and provide alternative recommendations, such as venue WIFI, if the signal is not strong. It is also a great idea to remind guests in your preevent materials to bring their phones to participate this time around.

Pre-registering Registering at the event is quick and easy, but we always encourage pre-event registration. Find a great ticketing platform, so you can sell tickets through the same site allowing everyone to be registered and ready to go for fundraising during the 50

FOUNDATION Magazine

Open the auction in advance Another way to generate fundraising revenue before your event even begins is to open your auction in advance. Mobile bidding solutions make it easy for your supporters to start bidding at home, and continue the activity throughout the event. We recommend opening the auction approximately seven days prior to the event.

Make use of outside bidders As all of your fundraising is through a website, extend your audience by promoting your site further than event attendees. Take a look at a great article on promoting your fundraising site on social media here.

DURING EVENT URL & QR code It’s extremely important for guests to understand how to access the fundraising site. We recommend having the URL on the screens around the room as well as QR codes printed on tables for easy access to the site.

Fundraising host In the opening speech by your fundraising host, make sure they promote the site and how to access it by pointing out the URL on the screens as well as the QR codes. This needs to be continuously pushed throughout the night.

Fundraising leaderboards For example, our clients use of the Givergy Leaderboard options to display on your screens around the room. We

September/October 2021

can also include the event URL at the top of these screens for an extra push.

This will draw guest’s attention to what is available in the auction, ultimately drawing them to the fundraising site.

During your pledge appeal, we have various totalisers available so speak to our team to make sure you are utilizing those in the best way for your audience.

Guest messaging Systems should send automatic registration and outbid notifications to guests to ensure they have easy access to auction items of interest. Through the system send notifications to your guests to keep them interested. We recommend countdown notifications to the end of the auction/prize draw to ensure you have a big focused finished with guest’s full attention on placing their last bids or purchasing their final tickets. We also recommend a pre fund-a-need appeal message, so all guests are only one click away from making a donation.

Quick and easy payment solution Collecting your guests’ payments couldn’t be easier with our mobile platform! All pledge and prize draw tickets can be taken straight away, and with our preauthorization feature, we will have the winning bidders card details already stored so can simply charge them at the close of the auction. Don’t forget an option for guests to cover the payment processing fee to ensure greater charity profit.

We firmly believe that our smartphone fundraising platform represents the future for in-person fundraising events.

ELLA JACQUES is Global Client Services Manager at Givergy and heads up the global fundraising and events team.

foundationmag.ca

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